2025-003 – Allowable Costs (Significant Deficiency) ______________________________________________________________________ Federal Program Information: Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Energy Title: Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Assistance Listing Number: 81.121 Award Number: DE-NE0009334 and DE-NE0009328 Award Period: 09/29/2023-09/28/2025; 05/04/2023-05/03/2026 Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR §200.403, except where otherwise authorized by statute, costs must meet the following criteria to be allowable under Federal awards: Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the federal program. Be adequately documented. Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in the federal award. Further, 2 CFR §200.302(b)(3) the entity should maintain records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Additionally, 2 CFR §200.473 says that the cost of alcoholic beverages is unallowable. Condition: During our expenditure testwork we noted the following: 1. The Alliance could not provide supporting documentation, such as an invoice, purchase order or receipt, for $197 out of $14,881 expenses tested. 2. There were no itemized receipts for four purchases of $315. 3. One of the submitted receipts included an unallowable alcoholic beverage purchase totaling $39.Context: Four out of Five invoices sampled for reimbursed expenses tested. Questioned Costs: $552. Cause: The Alliance did not ensure that reimbursed expenses were supported by appropriate documentation and there was a lack of review to identify unallowable costs. Effect: The program was charged for costs that were not adequately supported and included unallowable costs. Recommendation: We recommend that the Alliance strengthen internal controls over the allowability and documentation of expenditures charged to federal awards by requiring original, itemized receipts for all purchases prior to reimbursement or payment. Additionally, the Alliance should implement a documented review and approval process to verify that each expenditure is allowable, reasonable, allocable, and adequately supported in accordance with Uniform Guidance. Management Response: ECA believes that the documentation existed at the time for the charges as we have all of the receipts prior to creating any bills. However, for the unallowable costs ($39), ECA is reversing the charge and has already implemented a process to ensure that such costs are not charged to the grants in the future
1. FINDING NUMBER:14 2025 - 003 2. THIS FINDING IS: New 3. Federal Program Name and Year: Special Education Cluster 4. Project No.: 24-4620-EI,25-4620-00,25-4620-EI,24-4625-00,25-4625-00,24-4600-00,25-4600-00 5. AL No.: 84.027,84.173 6. Passed Through: Illinois State Board of Education 7. Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education 8. Criteria or specific requirement (including statutory, regulatory, or other citation): Per Uniform Guidance (2 CFR §200.302 and §200.303), non-Federal entities are required to maintain effective internal controls over Federal awards and maintain records that adequately identify the source and application of funds for federally funded activities. Financial management systems should provide accurate, current, and complete disclosure of financial results and adequately support expenditures charged to Federal programs. Expenditures submitted for reimbursement should be readily traceable to the accounting records and supported by appropriate documentation. 9. Condition: During our testing of expenditures submitted for reimbursement under the Special Education Grant, we noted that expenditures included in reimbursement requests were difficult to reconcile to supporting documentation and the District's accounting records. Specifically, amounts recorded within the general ledger for certain purchased services and supplies and materials expenditures were incomplete and could not independently support the amounts claimed for reimbursement. District personnel were required to provide additional grant tracking schedules and other supporting records to reconcile the expenditures reported for reimbursement. 10. Questioned Costs: None 11. Context: As part of our Uniform Guidance compliance testing, we reviewed expenditures charged to and reimbursed under the Special Education Grant. During testing, we noted instances in which expenditure amounts reported for reimbursement could not be directly traced to the general ledger and required reconciliation to separate grant tracking documentation maintained outside the accounting system. 12. Effect: The lack of a complete and accurate grant tracking process increases the risk that unsupported, inaccurate, duplicate, or unallowable expenditures could be included in reimbursement requests and charged to the Federal program. Inadequate documentation also impairs management's ability to effectively monitor grant activity and increases the risk of noncompliance with Federal grant requirements. 13. Cause: The District's procedures for tracking and recording grant expenditures were not sufficient to ensure that amounts reported for reimbursement were fully supported by and readily traceable to the general ledger. The District relied on supplemental grant tracking records to compile reimbursement requests because expenditures recorded in the accounting records were not maintained in a manner that allowed for complete and efficient reconciliation of grant activity. 14. Recommendation: We recommend the District strengthen its grant accounting and monitoring procedures by: 1. Ensuring all Special Education Grant expenditures are accurately and completely recorded within the general ledger, 2. Maintaining a clear audit trail between reimbursement requests, supporting invoices, payroll records (if applicable), grant tracking schedules, and the general ledger, 3. Performing periodic reconciliations between grant reimbursement requests and accounting records prior to submission, 4. Establishing documented review procedures to verify the completeness and accuracy of expenditures charged to Federal programs, and 5. Providing training to personnel responsible for grant accounting and reimbursement preparation to ensure compliance with Uniform Guidance documentation requirements. Implementation of these procedures will improve accountability over Federal funds, strengthen compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements, and reduce the risk of unsupported costs being charged to Federal programs. 15. Management's response: Management agrees with the finding and will strengthen grant tracking and reconciliation procedures to ensure expenditures submitted for reimbursement are fully supported, accurately recorded in the general ledger, and readily traceable to the underlying documentation.
ADOPTION ASSISTANCE – 93.659 Federal Award Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Federal Award Fiscal Years: 2024, 2025 Federal Award Numbers: 2401RIADPT, 2501RIADPT Administered by: Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE – 93.090 Federal Award Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Federal Award Fiscal Years: 2024, 2025 Federal Award Numbers: 2401RIGARD-05, 2501RIGARD-01 Administered by: Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Compliance Requirement: Reporting CONTROLS OVER EXPENDITURE REPORTING FOR ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM The Department of Children, Youth and Families did not appropriately segregate expenditures for the Adoption Assistance (93.659) and Guardianship (93.090) Programs. Background: The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) administer both the Adoption Assistance program (ALN 93.659) and the Guardianship Assistance program (ALN 93.090). Efficient administration of these programs requires precise tracking of federal expenditures to ensure that costs are allocated to the correct federal award. Criteria: Pursuant to 2 CFR §200.302 (Financial Management), non-federal entities must maintain a financial management system that provides accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each federally sponsored project or program. Specifically, the system must adequately identify the source and application of funds for federally funded activities, including the separation of expenditures by individual Assistance Listing Number (ALN). Condition: DCYF did not maintain separate accounting to properly isolate expenditures between distinct federal programs. Specifically, the Department utilized a single account (Line-Item Sequence Number 2075113) to record transactions for both the Adoption Assistance (ALN 93.659) and Guardianship Assistance (ALN 93.090) program expenditures. Consequently, this led to a reporting error where $287,539 in expenditures relating to the Guardianship Assistance program were incorrectly allocated to the Adoption Assistance program. This resulted in overstated expenditures reported on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) for the Adoption Assistance program and understated expenditures for the Guardianship Assistance Program in the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA). DCYF, however, properly identified the expenditures reported on the respective financial reports for each program. In conjunction with our audit, an adjustment was proposed to the SEFA to ensure properly reporting in the Single Audit. Cause: The Department lacks distinct, dedicated general ledger accounts or unique cost centers within its financial management system for each specific Assistance Listing Number. Relying on manual processes to ensure that the proper allocation of expenditures is prone to error and omission. Effect: Inaccurate or incomplete reporting in the SEFA and on federal reports going undetected and uncorrected by the department. Questioned Costs: None Valid Statistical Sampling: Not Applicable RECOMMENDATION 2025-057 Ensure proper segregation of accounting for each federal program administered by the Department.
Significant Deficiency /Other Non-compliance Program: Assistance Listing: 10.553/10.555 – Child Nutrition Cluster Repeat Finding from prior year: Yes; 2024-002 Criteria: 2 CFR §200.112 – Conflict of Interest requires non-federal entities to disclose in writing any potential conflicts of interest to the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity. 2 CFR §200.302 - Financial Management requires funds to be expended and accounted for the federal award in accordance with state laws and procedures for expending and accounting for state funds which include Miss. Code Ann. §25-1-53 and Miss. Code Ann. §25-4-105. 2 CFR §200.303 – Internal Controls requires non-federal entities to establish and maintain effective internal control over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance of compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. 2 CFR §200.403- Factors Affecting Allowability of Costs states that federal award costs must be necessary, reasonable, and allowable. The COSO Internal Control—Integrated Framework and the GAO Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (Green Book) provide the accepted framework for evaluating internal control over compliance (Control Environment and Control Activities). Condition: As reported in the prior year, we observed that the District's system of internal controls is not adequate to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest and personnel hiring practices. We observed that the Food Service Director's child was employed by the Food Service Department, creating a potential conflict-of-interest situation and a violation of applicable federal conflict-of-interest requirements and state nepotism laws. Specifically, we observed that the Board's minutes do not clearly identify the individual who recommended the employee to the board for hire, and the District failed to report the employment of individual to the appropriate division of the Mississippi Department of Education as required. This resulted in the payment of $22,194, including salary and related benefits paid to the related employee for potentially unallowable costs associated with the federal grant. Context/Perspective: This finding is a result of our statistically valid random sample of twenty-five payroll disbursements for single audit purposes and our follow up of a prior year audit finding. Cause: The District’s internal control system over personnel activities is not adequately designed to ensure that conflicts of interest related to hiring decisions are identified and prevented in accordance with applicable state and federal statutes and prevent unallowable cost being charged to the federal program. Effect: Failure to establish and maintain adequate internal controls over personnel hiring practices increases the risk of noncompliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations which could result in unallowable costs charged to the program due to conflicts of interest. Recommendation: The District should strengthen internal controls over hiring of personnel to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and conflict-of-interest requirements and to ensure that only allowable costs are charged to the federal grant program. This should also include implementing procedures for the disclosure and independent review of potential conflicts of interest, providing periodic ethics training, and establishing monitoring processes to ensure ongoing compliance with state nepotism laws and federal conflict-of-interest requirements as well as improvements to the internal controls over the preparation of the board minutes to ensure that the position and name of person recommending personnel to the board for hiring is clearly identified. Questioned Cost: None. Views of Responsible Official(s): The Auditee’s Corrective Action Plan lists the District’s response to the finding.
Significant Deficiency/ Other Noncompliance Program: Assistance Listing: 10.553/10.555 – Child Nutrition Cluster Repeat Finding: No Criteria: 2 CFR §200.302 - Financial Management requires funds to be expended and accounted for the federal award in accordance with state laws and procedures for expending and accounting for state funds which includes the "Accounting Manual for School Districts" by the Mississippi Department of Education which emphasizes that one of the most important aspects of controls over expenditures is an efficient and effective system of purchasing. The objectives of an effective purchasing system are to buy materials, supplies, commodities, and services that are of the right quality, quantity, price and from the right source with delivery being at the right place. These objectives should be accomplished in accordance with management's purchasing policies and in accordance with applicable federal and state purchasing laws. Each school district shall adopt purchasing policies and establish a purchasing system which will meet these objectives. 2 CFR 200.303 requires that a non-federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over a federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-federal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statues, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. 2 CFR 214 states that recipients and subrecipients are subject to the nonprocurement debarment and suspension regulations implementing Executive Orders 12549 and 12689, as well as 2 CFR 180. Condition: As part of our statistically valid random sample of sixty non-payroll disbursements from the District’s grant expenditures from major programs, we observed the following instances where information required to ensure that these expenditures fulfilled requirements of 2 CFR Part 200 as follows was not obtained by the District or was otherwise unavailable for our examination: • Several instances where the paid invoices exceeded the purchase order amount, which included instances where purchase orders were prepared for one dollar. • Several instances where certifications from SAM.gov were not obtained and included in the paid invoice packet to document that the District had verified that the vendor was not suspended or debarred. Context/Perspective: This finding is based on our statistically valid random sample of sixty non-payroll cash disbursements charged to major programs of the District. Effect: Failure to follow the federal and state requirements could affect future eligibility for federal award programs or could result in a loss or misappropriation of public assets. Questioned Costs: None Recommendation: We recommend that the District implement additional internal controls as necessary to ensure that purchase orders are prepared for accurate amounts where required and that written certifications are obtained to ensure that vendors have not been suspended or debarred. We specifically recommend that verifications from SAM.gov be obtained by printing or saving the “No Matches Found” page to a pdf and attaching it to the paid invoice packet or procurement file. Views of Responsible Officials: The Auditee’s Corrective Action Plan lists the District’s response to the findings.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Program Title: Child Nutrition Cluster (CNC) State Administering Department: California Department of Education ALN: 10.553, 10.555, 10.556, 10.559, 10.582 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 247CACA3N1199; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included testing FFATA reporting submissions for 40 subrecipients to evaluate compliance with federal reporting requirements and the design and implementation of internal controls over the FFATA reporting process. Our testing identified that FFATA reports for 40 of the 40 subrecipients were not submitted within the required reporting timeframe. Although the reports were ultimately submitted and the information reported was complete and accurate, the submissions were delayed following the federal government's transition from the FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS.gov) to the SAM.gov Subaward Reporting platform. The transition eliminated the bulk upload functionality previously used by the Department, significantly increasing the manual effort required to complete FFATA reporting while the Department worked to implement the new reporting process. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: During fiscal year 2024-25, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) transitioned FFATA reporting from FSRS.gov to the SAM.gov Subaward Reporting system. As part of this transition, the bulk upload functionality previously utilized by the Department was not initially available in the new system, significantly increasing the resources needed to prepare and submit FFATA reports. The increased reporting burden, coupled with staffing constraints and technical challenges encountered during implementation of the new reporting platform, contributed to delays in submitting FFATA reports within federally required timeframes. Effect: As a result of the elimination of the bulk upload process, staffing limitations, and implementation challenges associated with the federal reporting system transition, FFATA reports for 40 of 40 subrecipients were not submitted within the federally required reporting deadlines, resulting in noncompliance with FFATA reporting requirements. However, all required reports were ultimately submitted and contained complete and accurate information. Repeat finding: No Recommendation: The Department should evaluate staffing and resource needs associated with FFATA reporting and establish contingency procedures to address significant changes in federal reporting processes. Management should continue to monitor federal system changes, document implementation challenges, and maintain communication with federal agencies when external system limitations affect reporting timeliness. Additionally, the Department should identify and implement process improvements, including available automated reporting solutions and workarounds, to mitigate the impact of future system changes and help ensure FFATA reports are submitted within required timeframes. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Program Title: Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children State Administering Department: California Department of Social Services (CDSS) ALN: 10.646 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 257CDSS7N1175; October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025 257CDSS6N1803; October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. §200.328 Financial reporting (c) The recipient or subrecipient must submit financial reports as required by the Federal award. Reports submitted annually by the recipient or subrecipient must be due no later than 90 calendar days after the reporting period. Reports submitted quarterly or semiannually must be due no later than 30 calendar days after the reporting period. (d) The final financial report submitted by the recipient must be due no later than 120 calendar days after the conclusion of the period of performance. A subrecipient must submit a final financial report to a pass-through entity no later than 90 calendar days after the conclusion of the period of performance. Title 7 – Agriculture Subtitle B - Regulations of the Department of Agriculture Chapter II - Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture Subchapter C - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Food Distribution Program Part 274 – Issuance and Use of Program Benefits § 274.1 Issuance system approval standards (a) Basic issuance requirements. State agencies shall establish issuance and accountability systems which ensure that only certified eligible households receive benefits; that Program benefits are timely distributed in the correct amounts; and that benefit issuance and reconciliation activities are properly conducted and accurately reported to FNS. § 274.4 Reconciliation and reporting (c) Required reports. The State agency shall review and submit the following reports to FNS on a monthly basis: (1) Form FNS-46, Issuance Reconciliation Report, shall be submitted by each State agency operating an issuance system. The report shall be prepared at the level of the State agency where the actual reconciliation of posted benefits and the master issuance file occurs. (i) The State agency shall identify and report the number and value of all issuances which do not reconcile with the master issuance file. All unreconciled issuances shall be identified as specified on this reporting document. (ii) The report shall be received by FNS no later than 90 days following the end of the report month. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of 3 FNS-46 reports selected from a population of 12 reports submitted during the audit period to determine whether reports were filed in accordance with federal reporting deadlines. Of the 3 reports tested, 2 were not submitted within the required timeframe. Specifically, the reports were submitted 23 and 38 days after the applicable federal due dates. As a result, the Department did not consistently comply with federal reporting requirements for timely submission of FNS-46 reports. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: The Department did not maintain sufficiently precise internal controls to ensure FNS-46 reports were prepared, reviewed, and submitted in accordance with federally established reporting deadlines. Specifically, monitoring and supervisory review procedures were not designed or operating at a level of precision sufficient to identify and correct delays in report preparation and submission before the applicable due dates. As a result, late submissions were not detected and resolved in a timely manner. Effect: Failure to submit FNS-46 reports in a timely manner delays federal oversight of S-EBT issuance activity and increases the risk that reconciliation issues, including improper or unsupported issuances, are not promptly identified and resolved. Continued delays may result in noncompliance with federal reporting requirements and reduce the usefulness of reported information for program oversight. Repeat finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Department implement controls to ensure timely submission of FNS-46 reports, including establishing a formal reporting calendar aligned with the 90-day requirement, assigning clear responsibility for report preparation and review, and implementing monitoring procedures to track progress and escalate delays. Controls should operate with sufficient precision to ensure all required reports are completed and submitted within prescribed deadlines. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Labor Federal Program Title: Unemployment Insurance State Administering Department: Employment Development Department (EDD) ALN: 17.225 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: UI347022055A6; April 1, 2020 – June 30, 2025 UI387882255A6; April 1, 2022 – May 22, 2025 23A60UR000018; January 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 23A55UD000003; February 27, 2023 – September 30, 2025 23A60UB000081; April 1, 2023 – May 22, 2025 23A55UD000007; April 27, 2023 – April 26, 2026 24A55UT000026; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024 24A60UD000027; February 19, 2024 – February 19, 2027 25A55UE000010; July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025 25A60UD000072; January 8, 2025 – January 8, 2028 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Subtitle B – Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements Chapter XXIX – Department of Labor Part 2900 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements § 2900.14 – Financial reporting In addition to the guidance set forth in 2 CFR 200.328, for Federal awards from the Department of Labor, the DOL awarding agency will prescribe whether the report will be on a cash or an accrual basis. If the DOL awarding agency requires reporting on an accrual basis and the recipient's accounting system is not on the accrual basis, the recipient will not be required to convert its accounting system, but must develop and report such accrual information through best estimates based on an analysis of the documentation on hand. ETA-9130 Reporting Requirements 1) Submission of the ETA-9130 is required on a quarterly basis. Reporting quarter end dates shall correspond to the following calendar quarter end dates: March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. A final quarter ETA-9130 is required at the completion of the quarter, encompassing the grant award end date, or at the completion of the quarter in which all funds have been expended, whichever comes first. 2) Quarterly reports, including the final quarter report, are required to be submitted no later than 45 calendar days after the end of each specified reporting period. The reporting due dates are: May 15, August 15, November 15, and February 15. The deadlines for ETA-9130 submissions do not change, even in instances when the reporting due date falls on a weekend or holiday. The e-reporting system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reports can be submitted in advance of the due date. 3) All financial data is required to be reported cumulative from grant inception, through the end of each reporting period. Expenditure data is required to be reported on an accrual basis. 4) A separate ETA-9130 is required for each program and each fund source (subaccount) awarded to a grant recipient. 5) All sections of the report must be completed unless otherwise noted in the grant agreement Condition: Audit procedures included a review of the entire population of Form 9130 reports for administrative expenses, consisting of 22 reports. Our testing identified that certain reported amounts did not agree to the underlying general ledger for 12 reports, resulting in a total variance of $32,843,139. Additionally, audit procedures identified that internal controls over reporting were not operating effectively to ensure the timely and accurate submission of reports. Specifically, six reports were not submitted by the required due dates, and 12 reports contained inaccuracies at the time of submission, and controls were not performed with sufficient precision to verify that reported information was complete and accurate in accordance with federal reporting requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: The controls over the preparation and review of Form 9130 reports that were not performed with sufficient precision to identify and resolve discrepancies between reported amounts and the underlying general ledger. Specifically, controls were not designed or operating at a level precise enough to ensure that reported data was accurate, reconciled, and submitted in a timely manner in accordance with federal requirements. As a result, variances and reporting errors were not detected or corrected prior to submission. Effect: The lack of a robust and thorough reconciliation process between Form 9130 reports and the Administrative Fund (870) general ledger may lead to inaccurate reporting. Repeat finding: Yes – 2024-003 Recommendation: Management should establish a formal reconciliation process to ensure that Form 9130 administrative expense reports align with the general ledger. This process should include assigning responsibility to a designated finance team member for performing and documenting reconciliations, implementing a monthly reconciliation schedule, and promptly investigating and resolving any variances with documented approvals. Additionally, financial reporting policies should be updated to incorporate reconciliation requirements, and staff should receive training on compliance and reconciliation procedures to strengthen internal controls and reduce the risk of reporting inaccuracies. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Aging Cluster State Administering Department: California Department of Aging ALN: 93.044, 93.045, 93.053 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 2401CAOACM; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 2401CAOAHD; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 2401CAOANS; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 2401CAOASS; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 2501CAOACM; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 2501CAOAHD; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 2501CAOANS; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 2501CAOASS; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the FFATA subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of 60 FFATA reporting submissions associated with subrecipients. During this review, we assessed compliance with federal reporting requirements and evaluated the adequacy of internal controls over the FFATA reporting process. Of the 60 subrecipients examined, we identified that FFATA reporting was not performed timely for 31 subrecipients. Additionally, audit procedures further determined that reporting was only being performed once annually for all sampled subrecipients, rather than on an ongoing basis as required. The department lacked documented procedures and monitoring mechanisms to ensure timely and accurate reporting, including verification that subrecipient data was submitted in accordance with federal requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Procedures to perform the required FFATA reporting were not established by the Department. The absence of documented policies, assigned responsibilities, and monitoring mechanisms create an environment which may result in noncompliance with federal reporting. Effect: The lack of established procedures and internal controls for FFATA reporting resulted in noncompliance, with 31 out of 60 subrecipients not reported timely as required. Repeat finding: Yes, 2024-013 Recommendation: The Department should implement a robust process and related internal controls to ensure timely and accurate FFATA reporting. These controls should include developing written policies and procedures that outline the steps for collecting subrecipient data, preparing reports, and submitting them within required timelines; assigning accountability by designating specific personnel responsible for compliance; and implementing a monitoring and review process to verify completion and accuracy of reporting. Additionally, training programs should be established to ensure staff understand reporting requirements, and automated tracking tools or checklists should be utilized to provide transparency and reduce the risk of missed submissions. By introducing these internal controls, the Department can strengthen its compliance framework, mitigate the risk of federal funding repercussions, and enhance overall operational integrity. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Subrecipient Monitoring Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for ProgramInfectious Diseases (ELC) State Administering Department: California Department of Public Health ALN: 93.323 Pass-Through Agency: Heluna Health Pass-Through Number(s): 95-2557063 Award Number and Period: NU50CK000539; August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2027 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. § 200.332 – Requirements for pass-though entities A pass-through entity must: (b) Ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes the information provided below. A pass-through entity must provide the best available information when some of the information below is unavailable. A pass-through entity must provide the unavailable information when it is obtained. Required information includes: (1) Federal award identification. (i) Subrecipient's name (must match the name associated with its unique entity identifier); (ii) Subrecipient's unique entity identifier; (iii) Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN); (iv) Federal Award Date; (v) Subaward Period of Performance Start and End Date; (vi) Subaward Budget Period Start and End Date; (vii) Amount of Federal Funds Obligated in the subaward; (viii) Total Amount of Federal Funds Obligated to the subrecipient by the pass-through entity, including the current financial obligation; (ix) Total Amount of the Federal Award committed to the subrecipient by the pass-through entity; (x) Federal award project description, as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA); (xi) Name of the Federal agency, pass-through entity, and contact information for awarding official of the pass-through entity; (xii) Assistance Listings title and number; the pass-through entity must identify the dollar amount made available under each Federal award and the Assistance Listings Number at the time of disbursement; (xiii) Identification of whether the Federal award is for research and development; and (xiv) Indirect cost rate for the Federal award (including if the de minimis rate is used in accordance with § 200.414). Condition: Audit procedures included a review of eleven subrecipient agreements to determine whether the pass-through entity included the information required to be communicated to subrecipients in accordance with Uniform Guidance. Of the eleven agreements tested, all eleven (100%) did not contain one or more required federal award identification elements. Specifically, the agreements omitted the subrecipient’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), the Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN), the Federal award date, the applicable Assistance Listing Number (ALN), identification of whether the award was designated as research and development (R&D), and the applicable indirect cost rate for the federal award, including whether the de minimis indirect cost rate authorized under 2 CFR §200.414 was being used. As a result, the subrecipient agreements did not include all information required to be provided to subrecipients under 2 CFR §200.332(b). Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Controls designed to ensure the inclusion of all federally required award identification information in subrecipient agreements were not operating with sufficient precision to identify and prevent the omission of required elements prior to execution of the agreements. As a result, agreements were issued without all information required under 2 CFR §200.332(b), including the UEI, FAIN, Federal award date, ALN, identification of whether the award was designated as R&D, and the applicable indirect cost rate. Effect: The omission of required federal award information from subrecipient agreements may limit subrecipients' understanding of applicable federal award requirements and increase the risk of noncompliance with federal regulations. Incomplete award information may also result in inaccurate or inconsistent administration, monitoring, and reporting of federal awards by subrecipients and the pass-through entity. Repeat finding: Yes – 2024-009 Recommendation: Public Health should ensure every subaward includes all requirements imposed on the subrecipient so that the federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of the federal award. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Foster Care Title IV-E State Administering Department: California Department of Social Services (CDSS) ALN: 93.658 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 2501CAFOST; October 1, 2024- September 30, 2025 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the FFATA subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of the entire population of 58 FFATA subaward submissions for the Foster Care program reported in SAM.gov during the year ended June 30, 2025, and a comparison of those submissions to the related funding actions. Testing identified that all 58 subawards, representing 100 percent of the population, were reported after the required reporting deadline. Based on inquiry and review of supporting documentation, CDSS prepared and submitted the FFATA reporting file; however, certain submitted records were rejected by the reporting system and required correction and resubmission. Because the submission and review process was performed too close to the applicable reporting deadline, there was insufficient time to identify, resolve, and successfully resubmit the rejected records before the deadline. As a result, FFATA subaward information was not reported within the timeframe required by federal reporting requirements. The results of testing indicate that controls over FFATA reporting did not operate with sufficient precision to ensure submitted records were timely reviewed, validated, and accepted prior to applicable reporting deadlines. Accordingly, FFATA reporting was not consistently completed in a timely manner in accordance with federal requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: CDSS did not maintain controls over the FFATA reporting process that operated with sufficient precision to ensure subaward submissions were completed, validated, and accepted before applicable federal reporting deadlines. Specifically, FFATA reports were submitted too near the reporting deadline to allow sufficient time to identify, investigate, and correct rejected submissions. In addition, CDSS did not have monitoring procedures to review submission status, follow up on system-generated rejection notices, and verify that all submitted records had been successfully accepted in SAM.gov before the reporting deadline. As a result, submission errors were not resolved timely, resulting in late reporting of all reportable subawards. Effect: Untimely reporting reduced the timeliness, transparency, and reliability of publicly available federal spending information and limited the ability of federal agencies, oversight bodies, and the public to promptly monitor the distribution of federal funds to subrecipients. In addition, the lack of controls to timely identify and resolve rejected submissions increases the risk that future FFATA reporting deadlines may not be met. Repeat finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that CDSS strengthen its department-wide controls over FFATA reporting to ensure reportable subawards are identified, reviewed, and submitted within required federal reporting deadlines. Specifically, CDSS should establish and implement centralized procedures to track subaward actions, amendments, allocation changes, and other reportable funding events; monitor applicable FFATA reporting deadlines; and maintain documentation demonstrating that reportable subawards have been evaluated and reported timely. In addition, CDSS should implement review controls that operate with sufficient precision to verify that all reportable subawards have been identified, reporting deadlines have been met, and FFATA submissions are complete, accurate, and supported by underlying award documentation prior to submission in SAM.gov. These procedures should include documented supervisory review, reconciliation of reportable subaward activity to source documentation, and periodic monitoring to identify and resolve untimely or omitted submissions. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report. Response to views of responsible officials: We acknowledge CDSS's position that an initial FFATA submission was made on November 27, 2024, and that only two records required correction and resubmission. However, CDSS did not provide sufficient documentation to support the asserted November 27 submission date, such as submission confirmations, systemgenerated reports, audit logs, or other contemporaneous evidence demonstrating that the subaward information was successfully submitted before the reporting deadline. The audit evidence available for inspection reflected a submission date after the required deadline for all 58 Foster Care subawards. Although CDSS indicated that only two records failed during the original upload process, documentation supporting that assertion and the cause of the upload failure was not provided for audit review. Accordingly, based on the evidence available, we were unable to verify that FFATA reporting requirements were met by the applicable deadline. Therefore, we continue to conclude that the finding is valid as presented.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Child Care and Development Block Grant/Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund State Administering Department: California Department of Social Services (CDSS) ALN: 93.575, 93.596 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 2101CACDC6; October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2024 2334CACCDD; October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2025 2334CACCDF; October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2025 2334CACCDM; October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2025 2434CACCDD; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2026 2434CACCDF; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2026 2434CACCDM; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 2534CACCDD; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027 2534CACCDF; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027 2534CACCDM; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 2534CACCDY; December 21, 2024 – September 30, 2028 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Complianceand Material Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. §200.328 Financial reporting (c) The recipient or subrecipient must submit financial reports as required by the Federal award. Reports submitted annually by the recipient or subrecipient must be due no later than 90 calendar days after the reporting period. Reports submitted quarterly or semiannually must be due no later than 30 calendar days after the reporting period. (d) The final financial report submitted by the recipient must be due no later than 120 calendar days after the conclusion of the period of performance. A subrecipient must submit a final financial report to a pass-through entity no later than 90 calendar days after the conclusion of the period of performance. § 200.329 Monitoring and reporting program performance (a) Monitoring by the recipient and subrecipient The recipient and subrecipient are responsible for the oversight of the Federal award. The recipient and subrecipient must monitor their activities under Federal awards to ensure they are compliant with all requirements and meeting performance expectations. Monitoring by the recipient and subrecipient must cover each program, function, or activity. See also § 200.332. Title 45 – Public Welfare Subtitle A – Department of Health and Human Services Subchapter A – General Administration Part 98 – Child Care and Development Fund Subpart G – Financial Management § 98.60 – Availability of funds (d) The following obligation and liquidation provisions apply to States and Territories: (1) Discretionary Fund allotments shall be obligated in the fiscal year in which funds are awarded or in the succeeding fiscal year. Unliquidated obligations as of the end of the succeeding fiscal year shall be liquidated within one year. (2)(i) Mandatory Funds for States requesting Matching Funds per § 98.55 shall be obligated in the fiscal year in which the funds are granted and are available until expended. (4) Both the Federal and non-Federal share of the Matching Fund shall be obligated in the fiscal year in which the funds are granted and liquidated no later than the end of the succeeding fiscal year. (5) Determination of whether funds have been obligated and liquidated will be based on State or local law or, if there is no applicable State or local law, the regulation at 2 CFR 200.1, Expenditures and Obligations. § 98.65 Audits and financial reporting (a) Each Lead Agency shall have an audit conducted after the close of each program period in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, subpart F, and the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. (b) Lead Agencies are responsible for ensuring that subgrantees are audited in accordance with appropriate audit requirements. (c) Not later than 30 days after the completion of the audit, Lead Agencies shall submit a copy of their audit report to the legislature of the State or, if applicable, to the Tribal Council(s). Lead Agencies shall also submit a copy of their audit report to the HHS Inspector General for Audit Services, as well as to their cognizant agency, if applicable. (d) Any amounts determined through an audit not to have been expended in accordance with these statutory or regulatory provisions, or with the Plan, and that are subsequently disallowed by the Department shall be repaid to the Federal government, or the Secretary will offset such amounts against any other CCDF funds to which the Lead Agency is or may be entitled. (e) Lead Agencies shall provide access to appropriate books, documents, papers and records to allow the Secretary to verify that CCDF funds have been expended in accordance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the program, and with the Plan. (f) The audit required in paragraph (a) of this section shall be conducted by an agency that is independent of the State, Territory or Tribe as defined by generally accepted government auditing standards issued by the Comptroller General, or a public accountant who meets such independent standards. (g) Lead Agencies shall submit financial reports, in a manner specified by ACF, quarterly for each fiscal year until funds are expended. (h) At a minimum, a State or territorial Lead Agency's quarterly report shall include the following information on expenditures under CCDF grant funds, including Discretionary (which includes realloted funding and any funds transferred from the TANF block grant), Mandatory, and Matching Funds (which includes redistributed funding); and State Matching and Maintenance-of- Effort (MOE) Funds: (1) Child care administration; (2) Quality activities, including any sub-categories of quality activities as required by ACF; (3) Direct services for both grant or contracted slots and certificates; (4) Non-direct services, including: (i) Establishment and maintenance of computerized child care information systems; (ii) Certificate program cost/eligibility determination; (iii) All other non-direct services; and (5) Such other information as specified by the Secretary. § 98.67 – Fiscal requirements (c) Fiscal control and accounting procedures shall be sufficient to permit: (1) Preparation of reports required by the Secretary under this subpart and under subpart H; and (2) The tracing of funds to a level of expenditure adequate to establish that such funds have not been used in violation of the provisions of this part. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of the entire population of ACF-696 financial reports submitted for the CCDF Cluster. Our testing identified that certain reported amounts did not agree or reconcile to the underlying general ledger, resulting in a total variance of $491,119,535. Additionally, audit procedures identified that internal controls over reporting were not operating effectively to ensure the accurate submission of reports. Specifically, certain reports contained inaccuracies at the time of submission, and controls were not performed with sufficient precision to verify that reported information was complete and accurate in accordance with federal reporting requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: The controls over the preparation and review of ACF-696 reports were not performed with sufficient precision to identify and resolve discrepancies between reported amounts and the underlying general ledger. Specifically, controls were not designed or operating at a level precise enough to ensure that reported data was accurate, reconciled, and submitted in a timely manner in accordance with federal requirements. As a result, variances and reporting errors were not detected or corrected prior to submission. Effect: Without a documented reconciliation between the ACF-696 reports and the general ledger, the Department cannot demonstrate that reported expenditures were accurate, complete, and supported by accounting records. This increases the risk that expenditures, obligations, liquidations, unobligated balances, or expenditure categories reported to ACF may be misstated. Inaccurate ACF-696 reporting may affect ACF’s ability to monitor compliance with CCDF spending, obligation, liquidation, and availability requirements. Repeat finding: Yes – 2024-015 Recommendation: Management should establish a formal reconciliation process to ensure that ACF-696 expense reports align with the general ledger. This process should include assigning responsibility to a designated finance team member for performing and documenting reconciliations, implementing a monthly reconciliation schedule, and promptly investigating and resolving any variances with documented approvals. Additionally, financial reporting policies should be updated to incorporate reconciliation requirements, and staff should receive training on compliance and reconciliation procedures to strengthen internal controls and reduce the risk of reporting inaccuracies. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report. Response to views of responsible officials: We acknowledge management's explanation that variances between the ACF-696 reports and the general ledger resulted from timing differences associated with subsequent cost allocations, accruals, and other adjustments. However, the issue identified during the audit was not the existence of timing differences, but that the reconciliation process did not adequately identify, explain, and support significant variances. Audit testing identified unreconciled variances totaling $491,119,535 between the ACF-696 reports and the general ledger. Although management indicated that adjustments were reported in subsequent quarters, documentation supporting a complete and accurate reconciliation was not available at the time of report preparation and submission. As a result, controls did not operate with sufficient precision to ensure reported amounts were accurate, complete, and supported by the Department's accounting records. Accordingly, we continue to conclude that the finding is valid as presented. We appreciate management's planned corrective actions to formalize the reconciliation process and strengthen oversight of ACF-696 reporting.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesFederal Program Title: Child Care and Development Block Grant/Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund State Administering Department: California Department of Social Services (CDSS) ALN: 93.575, 93.596 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 2534CACCDD; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027 2534CACCDF; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027 2534CACCDM; October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the FFATA subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of 60 FFATA subaward submissions for the CCDF Cluster reported in SAM.gov and a comparison of those submissions to underlying agreements and funding allocations applicable to FY 2024–25. Our testing identified that CDSS did not consistently perform or retain a documented evaluation of whether agreements constituted subawards or procurement contracts in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.331 prior to FFATA reporting. FFATA submissions did not align with the timing and structure of funding communicated through Child Care Bulletins, including allocation amendments and contract modifications, and all submissions tested contained errors in key data elements, including subrecipient identification and linkage to the prime award. In addition, CDSS included agreements in FFATA reporting without documented support that the substance of the relationship met the definition of a subaward, while agreements with subaward characteristics were not consistently identified and reported, resulting in reported amounts that did not consistently reflect underlying funding actions. Accordingly, controls over FFATA reporting were not performed with sufficient precision to ensure that agreements were appropriately classified and that reported information was complete and accurate in accordance with federal reporting requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: The condition occurred because CDSS has not established an effective, centralized process to identify, evaluate, track, and report first-tier subawards subject to FFATA across its federal programs. CDSS did not maintain a complete reporting workflow that links funding actions, allocation amendments, agreement modifications, subrecipient classifications, and SAM.gov reporting deadlines. As a result, FFATA reporting relied on manual program-level processes that did not consistently ensure reportable subawards were identified, supported, reviewed, and submitted by the required deadline. Effect: Failure to timely and accurately report FFATA subaward information results in noncompliance with federal reporting requirements and reduces the transparency and reliability of publicly available federal spending data. Late, incomplete, or inaccurate reporting limits the ability of federal agencies, oversight bodies, and the public to determine how federal funds were passed through to subrecipients. Because similar FFATA deficiencies were identified across multiple CDSS-administered programs, there is an increased risk that reporting errors may continue or affect other federal programs unless CDSS implements a department-wide corrective action. Repeat finding: Yes – 2024-014 Recommendation: We recommend that CDSS revise its department-wide FFATA reporting procedures to address errors resulting from reliance on manual tracking, decentralized spreadsheets, and program-level processes that do not consistently capture funding actions, allocation amendments, agreement modifications, reporting deadlines, and SAM.gov submission status. Revised procedures should require program-specific review of each federal program’s funding structure and supporting documentation to determine whether agreements, allocations, amendments, or other funding actions are reportable subawards or procurement contracts, and whether new or updated FFATA reporting is required. CDSS should also require documented review before submission to verify that reported subrecipient information, award amounts, Assistance Listing numbers, prime award linkages, and reporting dates agree to underlying award documents, allocation letters, amendments, and agreements. These controls should help ensure FFATA submissions are accurate, timely, supported, and aligned with the unique funding structure of each CDSS-administered federal program. CDSS should consider utilizing a grant management solution to manage the full grant lifecycle more efficiently and ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements. The solution should support centralized tracking of awards, subawards, amendments, reporting deadlines, supporting documentation, review responsibilities, automated reminders, and submission status. This would reduce reliance on manual tracking and decentralized spreadsheets, improve accountability over responsible personnel, and strengthen CDSS’s ability to complete FFATA reporting accurately and timely. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Social Services Block Grant State Administering Department: California Department of Social Services (CDSS) ALN: 93.667 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 2501CASOSR; October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2026 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the FFATA subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included a review of FFATA subaward submissions for the Social Services Block Grant reported in SAM.gov and a comparison of those submissions to funding actions applicable to FY 2024–25. Our testing identified that no subawards were reported within the required timeframe. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: The condition occurred because CDSS has not established an effective, centralized process to identify, evaluate, track, and report first-tier subawards subject to FFATA across its federal programs. CDSS did not maintain a complete reporting workflow that links funding actions, allocation amendments, agreement modifications, subrecipient classifications, and SAM.gov reporting deadlines. As a result, FFATA reporting relied on manual program-level processes that did not consistently ensure reportable subawards were identified, supported, reviewed, and submitted by the required deadline. Effect: Failure to timely and accurately report FFATA subaward information results in noncompliance with federal reporting requirements and reduces the transparency and reliability of publicly available federal spending data. Late, incomplete, or inaccurate reporting limits the ability of federal agencies, oversight bodies, and the public to determine how federal funds were passed through to subrecipients. Because similar FFATA deficiencies were identified across multiple CDSS-administered programs, there is an increased risk that reporting errors may continue or affect other federal programs unless CDSS implements a department-wide corrective action. Repeat finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that CDSS revise its department-wide FFATA reporting procedures to address errors resulting from reliance on manual tracking, decentralized spreadsheets, and program-level processes that do not consistently capture funding actions, allocation amendments, agreement modifications, reporting deadlines, and SAM.gov submission status. Revised procedures should require program-specific review of each federal program’s funding structure and supporting documentation to determine whether agreements, allocations, amendments, or other funding actions are reportable subawards or procurement contracts, and whether new or updated FFATA reporting is required. CDSS should also require documented review before submission to verify that reported subrecipient information, award amounts, Assistance Listing numbers, prime award linkages, and reporting dates agree to underlying award documents, allocation letters, amendments, and agreements. These controls should help ensure FFATA submissions are accurate, timely, supported, and aligned with the unique funding structure of each CDSS-administered federal program. CDSS should consider utilizing a grant management solution to manage the full grant lifecycle more efficiently and ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements. The solution should support centralized tracking of awards, subawards, amendments, reporting deadlines, supporting documentation, review responsibilities, automated reminders, and submission status. This would reduce reliance on manual tracking and decentralized spreadsheets, improve accountability over responsible personnel, and strengthen CDSS’s ability to complete FFATA reporting accurately and timely. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Reporting Federal Agency: Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Program Title: Disaster Grants - Public Assistance State Administering Department: Governor’s Office of Emergency Services ALN: 97.036 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: 4407DRCAP00000001; November 12, 2018 – September 30, 2022 4431DRCAP00000001; May 1, 2019 – September 30, 2022 4482DRCAP00000001; January 20, 2020 – September 30, 2025 4558DRCAP00000001; August 24, 2021 – September 30, 2025 4683DRCAP00000001; December 27, 2022 – September 30, 2025 4699DRCAP00000001; April 3, 2023 – September 30, 2025 4750DRCAP00000001; August 19, 2023 – September 30, 2025 4769DRCAP00000001; January 31, 2024 – September 30, 2025 Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements. Chapter II – Office of Management and Budget Guidance. Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Subpart D – Post Federal Award Requirements. § 200.303 - Internal controls (2 CFR 200.303): The recipient and subrecipient must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). § 200.302 – Financial management (b) The recipient's and subrecipient's financial management system must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. (3) Maintaining records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. These records must contain information necessary to identify Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, as well as assets, expenditures, income, and interest. All records must be supported by source documentation. Title 2 – Federal Financial Assistance Subtitle A – Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements Chapter I – Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance Part 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information Subpart A – General § 170.105 Applicability (a) Applicability in general. This part applies to a Federal agency’s Federal financial assistance as defined in § 170.300. This part applies to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal awards who meet the reporting requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, unless exempt under Federal statute or by paragraph (d) of this section. Appendix A to Part 170—Award Term I. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation (a) Reporting of first-tier subawards — (1) Applicability. Unless the recipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this award term, the recipient must report each subaward that equals or exceeds $30,000 in Federal funds for a subaward to an entity or Federal agency. The recipient must also report a subaward if a modification increases the Federal funding to an amount that equals or exceeds $30,000. All reported subawards should reflect the total amount of the subaward. (2) Reporting Requirements. (i) The recipient must report each subaward described in paragraph (a)(1) of this award term to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov. (ii) For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was issued. (c) Reporting of total compensation of subrecipient executives — (1) Applicability. Unless a first-tier subrecipient is exempt as provided in paragraph (d) of this appendix, the recipient must report the executive total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if: (i) The total Federal funding authorized to date under the subaward equals or exceeds $30,000; (ii) In the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received: (A) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and, (B) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts), and Federal awards (and subawards) subject to the Transparency Act; and (iii) The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after receiving this subaward. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.) (2) Reporting Requirements. Subrecipients must report to the recipient their executive total compensation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this appendix. The recipient is required to submit this information to the FFATA subaward reporting functionality (formerly FSRS and now reported through SAM.gov) at http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. As of March 2025, this functionality has been migrated to SAM.gov, which now serves as the system of record for FFATA subaward reporting. Condition: Audit procedures included testing 60 FFATA reporting submissions related to subrecipients to evaluate compliance with federal reporting requirements and the design and implementation of internal controls over the FFATA reporting process. Our testing identified that FFATA reports for 36 of the 60 subrecipients were not submitted timely in accordance with federal requirements. While the reports were ultimately complete and accurate, controls over the reporting process were not performed with sufficient precision to ensure timely submission. Questioned costs: None Context: See “Condition.” Cause: During the fiscal year, the Department revised its procedures for performing FFATA reporting; however, the updated procedures and related controls were not consistently implemented across all subrecipient reporting activities. As a result, certain reports were processed outside of the revised control framework, contributing to delays in timely submission. Effect: The lack of established procedures and internal controls for FFATA reporting resulted in noncompliance, with 36 out of 60 subrecipients not reported timely as required. Repeat finding: Yes – 2024-020 Recommendation: The Department should strengthen controls over FFATA reporting by ensuring that revised procedures are fully implemented and consistently applied to all subrecipient reporting activities. This should include establishing clear protocols to identify all reports subject to FFATA requirements, monitoring compliance with reporting deadlines, and performing periodic reviews to verify that controls are operating with sufficient precision to ensure timely submission. Additionally, the Department should provide training and communication to relevant personnel on updated procedures and implement supervisory review controls to detect and remediate untimely filings. Views of responsible officials: Management’s response is reported in “Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan” included in a separate section at the end of this report.
Finding 2025-011 – Child Nutrition Cluster – Inadequate Payroll Support and Documentation Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Child Nutrition Cluster Assistance Listing Numbers: 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Compliance Requirement: Activities Allowed and Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Type of Finding: • Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance • Other Matters Criteria Pursuant to 2 CFR §200.430, compensation for personal services charged to Federal awards must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed and must be supported by a system of internal controls that provides reasonable assurance that charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Additionally, 2 CFR §200.302 requires non-Federal entities to establish and maintain effective internal controls over Federal awards that provide reasonable assurance that the entity is managing Federal awards in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should include procedures to ensure payroll costs charged to Federal awards are supported by approved timesheets, approved compensation rates, supervisory review, and adequate documentation retention practices. Condition During testing of payroll expenditures charged to the Child Nutrition Cluster, UHY identified instances where required payroll documentation was not available for review. Specifically, management was unable to provide approved timesheets for certain employees selected for testing and was unable to provide approved compensation documentation for other employees. In addition, UHY identified payroll instances where the approved hourly rate did not agree to the effective hourly rate calculated from payroll records, and management was unable to provide supporting documentation explaining the differences. Context The Child Nutrition Cluster reported approximately $788,550 in Federal expenditures during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. UHY tested payroll expenditures charged to the program as part of its procedures over Activities Allowed and Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. The exceptions identified were not isolated to a single payroll transaction and included multiple instances of missing support and unsupported payroll rate variances. Because required documentation was not maintained or available for review, UHY was unable to verify that all payroll costs tested were properly supported, approved, and allowable under the Child Nutrition Cluster. Cause Management did not maintain complete payroll documentation and did not have procedures in place to ensure approved timesheets, compensation authorizations, and payroll calculations were consistently retained and available for review. Existing review procedures were not sufficient to ensure that payroll charges to the Child Nutrition Cluster were adequately documented and supported in accordance with Federal requirements. Effect Because supporting documentation was not available, UHY was unable to verify that certain payroll costs charged to the Child Nutrition Cluster were properly supported, approved, and allowable. The lack of documentation increases the risk that payroll expenditures may be misstated, unauthorized, inaccurately calculated, or charged to Federal programs inappropriately. Furthermore, the inability to produce required payroll documentation impairs management's ability to demonstrate compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements and constitutes a material weakness in internal control over compliance because there is a reasonable possibility that material noncompliance could occur and not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Identification as a Repeat Finding, if Applicable No. Questioned Costs None identified. UHY was unable to determine questioned costs for all items selected for testing because supporting documentation was not available. Recommendation Management should strengthen controls over payroll documentation and record retention to ensure that approved timesheets, compensation authorizations, and payroll support are maintained and readily available for audit and review. Management should also implement procedures requiring supervisory review of payroll calculations and verification that payroll charges agree to approved compensation rates prior to processing and charging costs to Federal awards. Documentation supporting payroll charges should be retained in accordance with established record retention policies and Uniform Guidance requirements. Responsible Official Superintendent of Schools and Finance Director Views of Responsible Official The County concurs with the recommendation. The personnel action process as described in Section II of this document was implemented to correct this finding for the proper pay rates. Internal controls should be enhanced to ensure that all payroll charges are supported by approved timesheets prior to processing. School Management should review procedures to be implemented to verify payroll calculations and compensation rates, and documentation retention practices will be strengthened to ensure all required support is maintained and readily available for audit purposes.
2025-002 —Commingling of Federal Award Funds in the General Ledger Type of Finding: Material weakness in internal control over compliance Federal Program and Specific Federal Award Information All federal grant awards are affected by this finding. Criteria Under 2 CFR 200.302(b)(1), a non-federal entity is required to identify in its accounts all federal awards received and expended and the federal programs under which they were received. Under 2 CFR 200.303, the auditee must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance that the federal awards are managed in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards. Condition During our audit we noted that federal award receipts and expenditures for all federal programs were not separately identified in the general ledger. As a result, federal award transactions were commingled in the accounting records and could not be readily traced, accumulated, or reconciled by individual federal award without additional manual analysis outside the general ledger. The condition resulted a material weakness in internal control over compliance, because controls were not designed and/or operating effectively to ensure federal award activity was identified and tracked in the accounting records at the level required by Uniform Guidance. Cause The Organization did not have adequate internal controls, policies, and procedures in place to ensure that all federal awards were separately identified, tracked, and reported in the general ledger in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Specifically: • The Organization had not designed its chart of accounts to separately identify federal award receipts and expenditures by program, award number, award year, funding source, and Assistance Listing number. • Policies and procedures did not require federal award transactions to be coded at the grant or award level when recorded in the general ledger. • Personnel in the finance department are relatively new to the Organization and federal award guidelines related to the structure of the general ledger was not an area for which new personnel have received training. Effect Because federal award funds were commingled in the general ledger, the Organization did not maintain accounting records that readily identified federal awards received and expended by program and award. This increases the risk that: • Federal expenditures may be charged to the incorrect program, award, period, or funding source; • Unallowable or unsupported costs may be charged to federal awards and not detected timely, including increasing the potential to duplicate expenses charged to federal awards; • The schedule of expenditures of federal awards may be incomplete, inaccurate, or not properly reconciled to the accounting records; and • Financial and programmatic reports submitted to the federal agency or pass-through entity may be inaccurate. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified as a result of this finding. However, the commingling of federal award activity in the general ledger creates a risk that questioned costs could exist but not be detected without additional analysis. Recommendation We recommend that the Organization strengthen internal controls over federal award accounting and compliance by implementing procedures to ensure federal award activity is separately identified in the accounting records. Such procedures should include, at a minimum: 1. Chart of accounts / project coding — Establish separate general ledger accounts, fund codes, project codes, grant codes, or other accounting identifiers for each federal program and award, including Assistance Listing number, award number, award year, federal agency, and pass-through entity, as applicable. 2. Transaction-level coding — Require all federal receipts and expenditures to be coded to the appropriate federal program and award at the time transactions are recorded in the general ledger. 3. Invoicing for federal grant programs should be generated directly from the general ledger after all expenses for the period are coded and entered. 4. Written policies and procedures — Develop and implement written grant accounting policies that define roles, responsibilities, required coding fields, review procedures, and reconciliation requirements. 5. Training — Provide training to accounting and program personnel responsible for identifying federal awards, recording, approving, and monitoring federal award transactions. Views of Responsible Officials / Management Response Management agrees with the finding. Corrective actions are currently being implemented to strengthen internal controls over federal award accounting and compliance and to ensure federal award activity is separately identified and tracked in the general ledger. (See separately issued corrective action plan.)
2025-001 — Failure to Identify All Federal Awards and Prepare a Complete Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards Type of Finding: Material weakness in internal control over compliance related to the identification and reporting of federal awards and preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) Federal Program and Specific Federal Award Information This finding relates to the Organization’s process for identifying and reporting federal awards received and expended during the year ended June 30, 2025. Criteria Under 2 CFR 200.302(b)(1), a nonfederal entity is required to identify in its accounts all federal awards received and expended, as well as the federal programs under which the awards were received. Federal award identification must include, as applicable, the Assistance Listing title and number, federal award identification number, year the federal award was issued, and the name of the federal agency or pass-through entity. Under 2 CFR 200.510, the auditee is required to prepare a SEFA for the period covered by the auditee’s financial statements. The SEFA must include total federal awards expended for each individual federal program, and federal programs must be listed by federal agency. For awards received as a subrecipient, the SEFA must include the name of the pass-through entity and the identifying number assigned by the pass-through entity. The SEFA must also include applicable Assistance Listing numbers or other identifying numbers, cluster totals, loan or loan guarantee amounts when applicable, and amounts provided to subrecipients when applicable. Condition During the audit of the Organization for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the Organization did not identify all federal awards received and expended and did not prepare a complete Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards prior to the start of the audit. Additional federal awards and/or federal expenditures were identified through procedures performed during the audit. The Organization subsequently prepared or revised the SEFA with audit assistance and/or based on information identified during the audit. The awards or expenditures not initially identified are included in the table shown on the previous page and total $1,018,672. Total federal expenditures for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025 were ultimately determined to be $1,716,735. The audit engagement was revised as a result of the Organization meeting the threshold for a Single Audit. Cause The Organization did not have adequate internal controls, policies, and procedures in place to ensure that all federal awards were identified, tracked, and reported in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Specifically: • The Organization did not maintain a centralized grant listing or grant award register identifying all federal awards, including awards received directly from federal agencies and awards received as a subrecipient from pass-through entities. • Personnel in the finance department are relatively new to the Organization and federal award identification related to funds passed through by non-federal entities was not an area for which new personnel have received training. • Similarly, personnel have not received training in the preparation of the SEFA. Effect Because the Organization did not identify all federal awards and did not prepare a complete SEFA prior to the audit, there was a reasonable possibility that material misstatements of the SEFA and related disclosures would not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis. The SEFA is the primary basis for determining whether a Single Audit is required and for identifying major programs subject to audit; therefore, incomplete identification of federal awards could result in an incorrect major program determination, incomplete audit coverage, untimely or inaccurate federal reporting. Questioned Costs The amount of questioned costs, if any, could not be determined because the finding relates to the Organization’s internal control process for identifying and reporting federal awards and preparing the SEFA, rather than to specific costs tested for allowability. No specific questioned costs were identified as a result of this finding. Recommendation We recommend that the Organization strengthen internal controls over the identification, accounting, and reporting of federal awards and the preparation of the SEFA. At a minimum, management should: 1) Capture required federal award information for each award, including Assistance Listing title and number, federal award identification number, award year, federal agency, pass-through entity, pass-through identifying number, award period, award amount, and applicable compliance requirements. 2) Configure the accounting system or supporting schedules to separately identify federal revenues and expenditures by program, award, funding source, and award year. 3) Develop written SEFA preparation procedures that identify responsible personnel, timing, required data sources, reconciliation steps, and review and approval requirements. 4) Provide training to accounting, finance, and program personnel responsible for grant management and federal award reporting. 5) Consult with federal awarding agencies or pass-through entities when award information is incomplete or unclear, including Assistance Listing numbers or pass-through identifying numbers. Views of Responsible Officials / Management Response Management agrees with the finding. The Organization acknowledges that it did not have adequate procedures in place during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025 to identify all federal awards and prepare a complete SEFA prior to the audit. Management will implement corrective actions to strengthen controls over federal award identification, accounting, reconciliation, and SEFA preparation. (See separately issued corrective action plan.)
Finding 2025-002 Material Weakness & Non-Compliance: U.S. Department of Education Passed-through Mississippi Department of Education Program Name: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief ARP (ESSER) Program ALN: 84.425U Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles CRITERIA: 2 CFR 200.302(b)(3) requires non-Federal entities to maintain records that adequately identify the source and application of funds provided for federally-assisted activities. Additionally, 2 CFR 200.403(g) requires costs to be adequately documented in order to be allowable under Federal awards. The district’s internal control procedures require that disbursements be supported by an approved invoice, receiving documentation, and evidence of authorization prior to payment. CONDITION: During our test of 30 disbursements selected from the vendor payment population for the ARP ESSER grant, we noted 3 instances for which the district could not provide all the vendor invoices supporting the amount disbursed. In these instances, we were unable to substantiate that the goods or services were received or that the amount paid agreed to an amount owed. CONTEXT: The 3 instances involved different vendors indicating the issue was not isolated to a single vendor or purchase. CAUSE: The cause is a result of not properly implementing a designed system of accounting and internal controls. EFFECT: Noncompliance with federal recordkeeping and cost documentation requirements, and an increased risk that unallowable or unsupported costs could be charged to the federal award without detection. IDENTIFICATION OF REPEAT FINDING: No QUESTIONED COSTS: None. Although the district could not provide all the invoices for the 3 disbursements noted, the vendors and purchase descriptions were consistent with allowable ESSER program costs based on other documentation available (e.g., purchase orders, check detail, or contracts), and no indication of unallowable or unauthorized purchases was identified. RECOMMENDATION: The school district should implement policies and procedures to ensure all applicable compliance requirements are being met. VIEWS OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS: We will implement policies or procedures to establish an internal control system that will ensure strong financial accountability, including compliance with federal purchasing requirements.
Criteria: GLIDE’s award terms for Federal Award No. CE1HS52473 required submission of an annual Federal Financial Report (FFR/SF-425) within 90 calendar days after the end of the budget period. This requirement is consistent with 45 CFR 75.302(a)(2), 75.303, and 75.341 (current 2 CFR 200.302(b)(2), 200.303, and 200.328), which require financial management systems and internal controls sufficient to permit accurate, current, and complete reporting and timely submission of required federal financial reports in accordance with award terms. Condition: For the budget period ended September 29, 2024, the annual FFR was due December 28, 2024. Management submitted the report on January 30, 2025, which was 33 days after the due date Questioned Costs: There were no questioned costs identified. Context: The exception related to the annual FFR tested for this direct HHS award and indicates that report due dates were not effectively tracked and monitored for timely submission. Cause: Controls over tracking award-specific reporting deadlines, preparing the annual FFR, and ensuring timely management review and submission were not operating effectively. Effect: Late submission of required financial reports constitutes noncompliance with award terms and increases the risk of delayed grantor monitoring, delayed payment processing, or other follow-up by the awarding agency. Recommendation: Establish a reporting calendar by award and budget period, assign responsibility for preparation and review of each FFR, require documented supervisory review before submission, and retain evidence of submission and any approved extensions. Repeat finding: This is not a repeat finding.
Finding 2025-002:Significant Deficiency inFinancialManagementSystemAffectingFederalAward Tracking and SEFA Preparation Information on the Federal Program: Assistance Listing Number 10.766 – Community Facilities Loans and Grants, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Award Number: SFRMWQVG79M5. Compliance requirements: Reporting. Type of finding: Significant deficiency. Criteria: 2 CFR 200.302(b)(3) requires that financial management systems maintain records that sufficiently identify the amount,source,andexpenditureofFederalfundsandprovideinformationnecessarytopermit the preparation of required financial and program reports, including the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. In addition, the auditee is responsible forpreparationofacompleteandaccurateScheduleofExpenditures of Federal Awards for inclusion in the single audit reporting package. Condition and context: During our audit procedures, we noted that expenditures were not consistently recorded in the general ledger in a manner that identifies the applicable funding source or federal program. As aresult: Federal expenditures could not be readily identified by program from the accounting records. Supporting information necessary for preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards was not accumulated within the financial managementsystem. The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards required substantial audit adjustment and reconstruction to achieve completeness and accuracy. These conditions indicate that FISH’s financial management system does not consistently provide information necessary to identify and track federal award activity. Cause: FISH did not implement or maintain a general ledger structure or supporting processes that identify expenditures by funding source at the transaction level, nor were procedures in place to reconcile or accumulate federal award expenditures during the reporting period. Effect or potential effect: The deficiencies increase the risk that: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards may be incomplete orinaccurate. The majorprogram(s)maynotbeproperlyidentifiedinaccordancewithUniform Guidance. Populations used for audit testing may be incomplete or inaccurate Federal expenditures may not be consistently identified or reported by funding source. Financial informationusedforinternalandexternalreportingoffederalawardsmaynotbereliable without significant manual intervention. While this condition did not result in identified questioned costs, it reflects a weakness in the financial management system required to support federal awardreporting. Questioned Costs: none. Recommendation: Werecommend thatmanagement: Implement a chart of accounts or coding structure that identifies funding source at the transaction level. Establish procedures to track expenditures by federal program throughout theyear. Perform periodic reconciliations of grant activity to the general ledger. Develop and document a formal process for preparation and review of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Responsible official’s response: Management agrees with the finding and has prepared a corrective actionplan.
FA 2025-003 Strengthen Controls over Cash Management Compliance Requirement: Cash Management Internal Control Impact: Material Weakness Compliance Impact: Material Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department of Education AL Number and Title: COVID-19 – 84.425U – American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Federal Award Numbers: S425U210012 (Year: 2024) Questioned Costs: $52,211 Description: The School District made cash drawdowns in excess of the immediate cash needs of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program. Background Information: The School District may request Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program funds from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) once per month. GaDOE requires the School District to submit DE- 0147 – Requests for Reimbursement of Monthly Cash Disbursements through the Grants Accounting Online Reporting System to receive program funds. When a DE-0147 request is submitted and approved, the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program funds are typically disbursed to the School District through an electronic payment process the next week. Criteria: As a recipient of federal awards, the School District is required to establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance of managing the federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards pursuant to Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), Section 200.303 – Internal Controls. Additionally, provisions included in the Uniform Guidance Section 200.305(b) state, “For recipients and subrecipients other than States, payment methods must minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the Federal agency or the pass-through entity and the disbursement by the recipient or subrecipient…” In addition, the Uniform Guidance Section 200.302(b)(6) requires that the entity develop written cash management procedures. Condition: A review of all cash drawdowns and disbursements related to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program was performed to determine if any excessive cash balances were maintained during the fiscal year under review. Excessive cash balances at fiscal year-end totaled $52,211. Questioned Costs: Questioned costs of $52,211 were identified for cash drawdowns in excess of reimbursable expenditures. Cause: Excess cash drawdowns resulted from failure to follow established procedures and claiming expenditures on completion reports that were not based on actual general ledger expenditures. Effect: The School District was not in compliance with the Uniform Guidance and GaDOE guidance. In addition, the School District could potentially accrue an interest liability that would be owed back to the federal government. Furthermore, when the School District cannot meet the requirement to minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds and disbursement of those funds, provisions included in the Uniform Guidance allow GaDOE to change the method by which the School District is transferred funds and delay the School District’s receipt of these funds. This may include requirement by GaDOE to submit invoices prior to being reimbursed for program expenditures. Recommendation: The School District should follow established procedures to accurately forecast the cash needs of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program and minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from GaDOE and the disbursement of such funds by the School District. In addition, these procedures should be documented in writing in accordance with the Uniform Guidance. Furthermore, management should develop and implement a monitoring process to ensure that these procedures are followed. Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with this finding.
FA 2025-004 Strengthen Controls over Financial Reporting Compliance Requirement: Reporting Internal Control Impact: Material Weakness Compliance Impact: Nonmaterial Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department of Education AL Number and Title: COVID-19 – 84.425U – American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Federal Award Numbers: S425U210012 (Year: 2024) Questioned Costs: None identified Description: The School District did not file accurate completion reports for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program. Background Information: The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) requires the School District to submit a completion report by October 30 after the 15-month period of performance associated with the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program ends. These completion reports are filed through the Grants Application section of the MyGaDOE webportal and reflect budgeted and actual expenditure information for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program for the reporting period. If the total expenditures reflected on the completion report are more than the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program funds received by the School District for the grant period, a DE-0147 – Request for Reimbursement of Monthly Cash Disbursements will be automatically generated and the additional funds due to the School District will be disbursed appropriately. Conversely, if the total funds received for the grant period exceed the total expenditures reflected on the completion report, the Grants Application will prompt the School District to enter a check number for the required refund of excess funds drawn down. Therefore, it is imperative that completion reports are filed by the School District in an accurate and timely manner. Criteria: As a recipient of federal awards, the School District is required to establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance of managing the federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards pursuant to Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), Section 200.303 – Internal Controls. Provisions included in the Uniform Guidance, Section 200.302(a) state in part that “all recipient and subrecipient financial management systems, including records documenting compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award, must be sufficient to permit the preparation of reports required by the terms and conditions…” In addition, provisions included in the Uniform Guidance, Section 200.302(b)(2) state that the financial management system must provide for “accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements…” Condition: A review of the School District’s accounting records and the completion reports related to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program for the period of July 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024 revealed that expenditures were over reported by $56,119. Cause: Excess cash drawdowns resulted from failure to follow established procedures and claiming expenditures on completion reports that were not based on actual general ledger expenditures. Effect: The School District was not in compliance with the Uniform Guidance and GaDOE guidance. Failure to accurately report federal award expenditures through the completion report process could lead to the filing of DE-0147 reimbursement requests with GaDOE that do not support actual expenditures. Therefore, the School District obtained more federal funding than they were eligible to receive. Recommendation: The School District should follow established procedures to ensure that completion reports submitted to GaDOE are supported by the accounting records and DE-0147 reimbursement requests are prepared based upon actual expenditures incurred. In addition, management should develop and implement a monitoring process to ensure that control procedures are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with this finding.
Item 2025-007 - Cash Management - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Center Program Cluster (Assistance Listing Number 93.224/93.527) Notice of Award Number 6 H80CS00505-23-04, 6 H2ECS45602-02-04, 1 H8LCS50772-01-00 and 6 H8HCS46163-03-01 - (Significant Deficiency) Criteria: Non-federal entities other than states are required to have internal controls in place to ensure compliance with the requirements of cash management that are contained in 2 CFR sections 200.302(b)(6) and 200,305, 31 CFR Part 205, 48 CFR sections 52.216-7(b) and 52.232-12. Statement of Condition: During our audit, we noted that there is no evidence of review and approval of drawdowns from the Health Center Program Cluster and the supporting records. Cause: LBUCC does not have a policy in place requiring the review and approval of drawdowns from the Health Center Program Cluster to be documented. Effect: Failure to document review and approval of drawdowns may result in unauthorized or incorrect drawdowns from the Health Center Program Cluster. Questioned Costs: None. Context: Although there is no evidence of review and approval of the drawdowns, the amounts of all 8 sample drawdowns tested agreed to the underlying records and supporting documents. Identification as a Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend that LBUCC implement a policy that requires all drawdowns and supporting documents to be reviewed and that such review and approval be documented. Management Response: Management agrees with the finding and will implement these steps to ensure compliance with the federal cost principles, strengthen internal controls, and reduce the risk of questioned costs.
CFDA Number: 93.224 Federal Program or Cluster: Health Center Program Cluster Grantor Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Award Identification: H8FCS41177 Compliance Requirements: Cash Management Type of Finding: Noncompliance/Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance Questioned Costs: None Criteria: Per 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.305, Federal payment, "payment methods must minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the Federal agency...and the disbursement of funds by the recipient… 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.302(b)(6) also requires written procedures to implement the requirements of Section 200.305. Per HHS Grant Policy Statement: “In accordance with Dept of Treasury regulations, you must draw federal cash only for your immediate needs. At the time of draw down, you will certify you will not hold cash beyond three working days… Do not request cash to cover unliquidated encumbrances, obligation, or accrued expenditures until payment is pending”. Condition: On June 30, 2024, the Organization drew the remaining H8F funds of $1,253,464, and recorded this amount as a credit to a balance sheet account, indicating these were unspent or unearned grant funds. Throughout the year ended May 31, 2025, as expenditures were made, the Organization recorded debits to this balance sheet account, crediting a grant revenue account. The Organization's internal controls over compliance failed to prevent, or detect and correct, this noncompliance. Cause: Organization personnel were not aware of the cash management compliance requirement with respect to this federal award. The Organization's previous CEO retired approximately May 31, 2024. Per inquiry of the Organizaton's CFO, their understanding was that the deadline to obligate for this federal award was December 31, 2024, and the deadline to expend or liquidate was December 31, 2026, and they were spreading it out to what they thought was the deadline. Effect or Potential Effect: By drawing federal award funds prior to expenditure, the Organization did not comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.305, Federal payment and of the HHS Grants Policy Statement. Context: Draws for this Federal award were taken in July, 2024 for $1,270,464. We requested supporting detail of the $1,270,464 expenditures made during the year for this Federal award as reported in the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. We received a spreadsheet that contained a list of 26 descriptions and amounts, but no transactional detail such as check numbers, check dates, payee, invoice number, invoice date, etc. After determining the check numbers and check dates for 9 of the 26 items in the spreadsheet, we noted that disburesments for 8 of those 9 occurred more than 3 days after the date the draw, with 2 disbursements made more than 5 months after the date of the draw. Repeat Finding? No Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization provide grants management training to all its financial staff and management covering the Uniform Guidance/OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. We also recommend that the Organization develop and implement policies and procedures that ensure grant funds are drawn at the time of, or following, expenditures for allowable costs by the Organization. These policies and procedures should include that, for each draw from a Federal award, 1) detailed documentation of the expenditures for which the grant funds are being drawn is prepared prior requesting the draw, including transactional details such as vendor, invoice number, invoice amount, check number, check date, payee, and check amount; 2) that the documentation supporting the draw is reviewed and approved by a member of management (other than the person who prepares the documentation) prior to requesting the draw, and 3) that the documentation supported each draw is maintained as part of the Organization's accounting records. Views of Responsible Officials: We agree with the finding. We have never received proper training. See Corrective Action Plan for Reference 2025-005.
CFDA Number: 93.224 Federal Program or Cluster: Health Center Program Cluster Grantor Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Award Identification: H8FCS41177 Compliance Requirements: Reporting Type of Finding: Noncompliance/Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance Quiestioned Costs: None Criteria: 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.302 Financial management requires that the Organization's financial management system must provide for the following: 1) Identification of all Federal awards received and expended and the Federal programs under which they were received..; and 2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements in Sections 200.328 and 200.329. Section 200.328 Financial reporting states that the required financial reporting consists of the Federal Financial Report (SF-425). Condition: The SF-425 Federal Financial Report filed by the Organization for the H8FCS41177 Federal award reported that cash disbursements of $2,675,250, the total amount of the Federal award, had been made. However, $1,248,456 of those cash disbursements were determined during our audit to not be allowable due to not being obligated and/or liquidated by the period of performance deadlines. The cash disbursements reported on the SF-425 were not readily determinable from the Organization's general ledger accounts. Cause: Organization personnel were not aware of the period of performance with respect to this federal award. The Organization's previous CEO retired approximately May 31, 2024. Per inquiry of the Organizaton's CFO, their understanding was that the deadline to obligate for this federal award was December 31, 2024, and the deadline to expend or liquidate was December 31, 2026. The Organizaton's chart of accounts and general ledger do not include separate and distinct accounts or classes to which federal award expenditures are recorded. Effect or Potential Effect: The SF-425 Federal Financial Report filed by the Organization included cash disbursements of $1,248,456 that were not chargeable to the Federal award because they were not obligated before the period of performance end date and/or the payment was not made before the deadline to liquidate obligations. Context: We requested detail of expenditures for the Federal award and were provided with manual spreadsheets lacking all the transactional details needed. Information from the general ledger did not agree with cash disbursements reported on the SF-425. The general ledger information indicated $1,185,164 of the Federal award had not yet been disbursed at the time the SF-425 was filed. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization provide grants management training to all its financial staff and management covering the Uniform Guidance/OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. We also recommend that the Organization develop and implement policies and procedures for financial and performance report preparation to ensure information is supported by proper documentation and agrees with the general ledger. These policies and procedures should also include a requirement that all reports are reviewed by a member of management who is not involved in the preparation of the reports. Views of Responsible Officials: We agree with the finding. We have never received proper training. See Corrective Action Plan for Reference 2025-007.
2025-001: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes for Health Research and Development Cluster, Cancer Control, Assistance Listing #93.399; Lack of Required Written Policies Condition Montana Cancer Consortium (the Consortium) does not have written policies and procedures in place as required by 2 CFR § 200.302 and § 200.313. Specifically, the Consortium lacks documented policies for: • The timing of federal cash draws; • The allowability of costs charged to federal awards; and • Documentation of time-and-effort for personal services. Criteria 2 CFR § 200.302(b)(6)–(7) requires nonfederal entities to have written procedures for: (a) cash drawdowns and (b) determining cost allowability. § 200.305 requires written cash-management procedures that minimize the time between draw and disbursement. § 200.430 requires a written policy that is consistently applied to both federal and nonfederal activities for documentation of compensation for personal services. Context At the time of completion of the audit for the year ended May 31, 2025, the written policies were not in place. We noted that the policies were implemented on December 1, 2025, which was after the fiscal year under audit had ended. Cause The Consortium has not yet developed or adopted the required written policies due to limited administrative capacity and reliance on informal practices. Effect The absence of written policies increases the risk of noncompliance with federal requirements, mismanagement of federal funds, and audit findings in future periods. It may also impair the Consortium’s ability to consistently apply federal cost principles and properly safeguard assets. Recommendation We recommend that the Consortium develop and implement written policies and procedures that comply with the requirements of Uniform Guidance. Management Response See Corrective Action Plan.
2025-001: Reconciliations and Material Adjustments Questioned Costs: None How the questioned costs were computed: N/A Grant Funding Source Grant Period Head Start U.S. Department of Health 06/01/2024 05/31/2025 10CH012611 01 and Human Services Head Start U.S. Department of Health 06/01/2024 04/30/2025 10CH010945 05 and Human Services Head Start U.S. Department of Health 07/01/2022 06/30/2025 10HP000422 03 and Human Services Condition: At the time of audit fieldwork, Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc. had not reconciled and closed its grant and contract revenue and accrued payroll. Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc.'s cash reconciliation also included a deposit in transit that was never deposited. As a result, Wipfli, LLP proposed and management posted adjusting journal entries to grants receivable, refundable advance, accrued liabilities, and grant revenue. A passed adjustment was reported for the misstatement on the cash reconciliation. As Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc.’s internal controls did not discover these adjustments prior to our audit, a material weakness exists in Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc.’s internal controls over financial reporting. Criteria: Federal Regulation 2 CFR 200.302(4) requires that an organization have…Effective control over, and accountability for, all funds, property, and other assets. Cause: During the audit year, Umatilla Morrow Head Start, Inc. experienced turnover in its business office while preparing for the audit which contributed to the lack of adequate and timely closing procedures, account reconciliations, and review processes. Repeat: Yes - Years as repeat finding: Six Effect: As a result of the lack of segregation of duties surrounding bank reconciliations and not reconciling all account balances resulting in subsequent adjustments to accounts, a material weakness exists in internal controls over financial reporting. Recommendation: Accounts should be reconciled monthly with the adjustments posted timely so that management is relying on accurate financial information to make decisions. We recommend management and those charged with governance evaluate the operation of the business office and implement adequate and timely closing procedures to ensure that financial statement amounts are being reconciled, reviewed, and adjusted in a timely manner. View of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the assessment and subsequent to year end, steps were taken to correct the matter.
Criteria: Federal regulations require non-federal entities to maintain records that adequately support allowable costs and program activities. Specifically, 2 CFR 200.302 requires financial management systems to provide accurate, current, and complete disclosure of financial results, and 2 CFR 200.403 requires that costs charged to federal awards be allowable, reasonable, and adequately documented. HRSA program requirements further require health centers to maintain patient-level documentation to support reported encounters and costs. Condition: During audit testing of patient eligibility and sliding fee scale application, supporting documentation of income was not available for 25 of 40 patients sampled. As a result, the health center was unable to demonstrate that the sliding fee discounts were appropriately determined in accordance with program requirements. Cause: Per HRSA and UDS requirements, FQHC’s must determine patient eligibility for the sliding fee discount based on income and family size, and retain documentation to support income verification for each patient applying for the discount. Effect: As a result, the health center is in noncompliance with HRSA sliding fee discount program requirements, which represents a material weakness in internal control over compliance and results in an increased risk that patients received sliding fee discounts for which they were not eligible or that eligible patients were improperly classified, and that Uniform Data System (UDS) data related to patient income levels and sliding fee discount utilization may be materially misstated. Questioned Costs: Questioned costs could not be determined due to the lack of supporting documentation for the affected patients. Recommendation: We recommend that management reinforce policies requiring documentation of income and family size before applying sliding fee discounts, implement periodic review of patient files to ensure compliance, provide staff training, and accountability measures for intake procedures, and consider adding monitoring on a quarterly basis to ensure ongoing adherence.
Criteria: Federal regulations require non-federal entities to maintain records that adequately support federal program reporting. Specifically, 2 CFR 200.302 requires recipients to maintain financial and programmatic records that provide accurate, current, and complete disclosure of program results, and 2 CFR 200.333 requires records to be retained and available for audit. HRSA Health Center Program requirements further require health centers to maintain documentation supporting data reported in the Uniform Data System (UDS), including patient-level records supporting Table 4 – Selected Patient Characteristics. Condition: The health center did not provide a report or reconciliation that ties source data to the totals reported in UDS Table 4 – Selected Patient Characteristics. Management provided a report based on billable visits and patients only, which excluded visits and patients for which no charge was associated. Management stated that UDS data are pulled directly from the electronic health record system (eClinicalWorks) by the compliance department using system mapping that differs from billing reports, and that the mapping will not change. As a result, the auditors were unable to verify that all patients required to be included in Table 4 were captured and accurately reported. Cause: The health center did not have documentation available to validate the accuracy and completeness of the UDS Table 4 data. Effect: Because a reconciliation or alternative audit trail was not available, the auditors were unable to determine whether UDS Table 4 data were complete and accurate, including whether non-billable patients were appropriately included. This condition increases the risk that the UDS report contains incomplete or inaccurate patient characteristic data, which may affect HRSA’s oversight, monitoring, and funding determinations. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs are reported for this finding, as the UDS report represents programmatic reporting and does not directly result in identifiable questioned costs. Recommendation: We recommend that management establish and document controls over UDS reporting, including developing reconciliations or alternative audit trails that demonstrate completeness of patient populations reported in Table 4, documenting system mapping and logic used to generate UDS data, and implementing management review procedures prior to UDS submission.
2025-002 - Lack of Written Federal Program Policies. Type: Material Weakness. Condition: The Village does not have documented policies and procedures specific to the administration of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program. This includes the absence of written guidance on key compliance areas such as payments, procurement, allowability of costs charged to federal programs, compensation, and travel costs under Uniform Guidance. Criteria: Per 2 CFR 200.303 and 200.331 of the Uniform Guidance, non-federal entities are required to establish and maintain effective internal controls and written policies to ensure compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of federal awards. These policies should be tailored to the specific requirements of each federal program. Cause: The entity has not developed formal written policies and procedures for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, possibly due to reliance on informal practices or general administrative policies that do not address federal-specific requirements. Effect: Without documented policies, there is an increased risk of noncompliance with federal requirements, inconsistent program administration, and lack of accountability. This may result in questioned costs, audit findings, or potential repayment of federal funds. Recommendation: We recommend that the Village develop and implement written policies and procedures specific to the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program. These should include: - Payments in accordance with §200.302 (6), - Procurement in accordance with §200.318, - Allowability of costs charged to federal programs in accordance with §200.302 (7), - Compensation in accordance with §200.430 and §200.431, - Travel costs in accordance with §200.474. Training should also be provided to staff responsible for administering the program to ensure consistent application of these policies. Views of Responsible Officials: Management acknowledges the auditor’s finding regarding the absence of formally documented federal program policies. We recognize the importance of maintaining written procedures to ensure consistent compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements and to strengthen internal controls over federal awards. While informal practices have historically guided our federal program administration, we agree that formalizing these policies will enhance transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency. Management is currently in the process of developing written policies covering key areas such as procurement, allowable costs, subrecipient monitoring, and cash management. We anticipate completing this documentation and implementing the policies by February 28, 2026. We are committed to continuous improvement and appreciate the auditor’s recommendations as part of our efforts to maintain strong compliance and stewardship of federal funds.
Finding: 2025-001 Incomplete Tenant Records – Section 8 HCV Program (ALN 14.871) Condition: During our review of forty (40) tenant files under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, we identified multiple instances of missing documentation and compliance lapses: 1. For one (1) tenant, income verification was not performed for the current year, and prior year income was rolled forward. The HUD-50058 (Family Report) form was reviewed in the PIC system but was not present in the tenant file. 2. For one (1) tenant, the Approved Lease, HUD-52517 (Request for Tenancy Approval), and HUD- 52641 (HAP Contract) forms were not present in the tenant file. Criteria: Under 2 CFR § 200.303, non-Federal entities are required to “establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.” Additionally, 2 CFR § 200.302(b)(3) mandates that entities “maintain records which adequately identify the source and application of funds provided for federally-assisted activities.” HUD regulations governing the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (ALN 14.871) further require that tenant files include complete and timely documentation of income verification, lease approvals, and execution of required HUD forms such as HUD-50058 (Family Report), HUD-52517 (Request for Tenancy Approval), and HUD-52641 (Housing Assistance Payments Contract). These documents are essential to support eligibility determinations and ensure accurate Housing Assistance Payments. Cause: The deficiencies appear to result from inconsistent implementation of file maintenance procedures and inadequate internal controls over documentation and compliance tracking. There may also be a lack of staff training or oversight regarding HUD documentation requirements. Effect: Incomplete tenant records compromise the Housing Authority’s ability to demonstrate compliance with HUD regulations and the proper use of Federal funds. Missing documentation such as income verification and executed lease agreements may result in eligibility determinations that cannot be substantiated, increasing the risk of noncompliance. These issues could lead to program findings, reputational harm, or future funding restrictions if not addressed. Questioned Costs: There were no determinable questioned costs identified during the review. While documentation gaps were noted, the absence of supporting records did not allow for a reliable calculation of financial impact. Recommendation: We recommend that the Housing Authority strengthen internal controls over tenant file documentation by implementing a standardized checklist to ensure all required forms and records are consistently retained. Staff should receive periodic training on HUD documentation and compliance requirements to reinforce expectations and reduce errors. Management should also conduct routine internal reviews to verify that income verification and lease documentation are properly completed and maintained. These measures will help ensure that tenant eligibility and payment determinations are adequately supported and compliant with federal regulations. Reply and Corrective Action: To address these findings, the Housing Authority will implement a standardized checklist for all tenant file changes, ensuring that all required forms and records are consistently retained. The Program Administrator and staff will conduct monthly reviews of completed reexaminations to verify that all necessary documentation is present and properly filed. All paperwork related to annual reexaminations, transfers, move-ins, and interims will be scanned into the Lindsey software system within five working days of receipt, prior to physical filing. The Program Administrator will organize monthly training sessions on HCV/S8 program requirements, with participation tracked to ensure all staff attend. Weekly spot checks will be performed to confirm that the checklist is being used appropriately. These actions will be supported by updated training materials, access to the Lindsey software, and dedicated staff time for audits and training. To mitigate risks such as incomplete documentation, missed scanning deadlines, or low training attendance, the Housing Authority will implement pre-audit checklists, set automated reminders for staff, and make training mandatory. Management will monitor the implementation of these corrective actions and conduct follow-up reviews to ensure sustained compliance with HUD regulations.
U.S. Department of Transportation – AL #20.106 Airport Improvement Program – Reporting Grant Award: 3-38-0022-064-2022 Criteria The Authority is required to submit payment requests using the DOT Electronic Grants payment system, Delphi e-Invoicing. These requests must meet the standards described in 2 CFR ss 200.302 and 200.305. Additionally, Authority is required to submit annual SF-425 reports within 90 days of the end of the federal fiscal year. Condition During review of submitted Request for Reimbursements and Outlay reports, it was noted that one request submitted was not accurately prepared as there was one instance in which the amount requested was greater than invoice documentation, additionally the request included a request for reimbursement of AIP ineligible costs. As of December 31, 2024 no funds have been returned to U.S. DOT. It was also noted that multiple annual SF-425 reports were submitted late. Questioned Costs N/A Context We reviewed the project financial summary for two of the 19 requests submitted during 2024 and SF-425 reports for all open grants. Cause Employee oversight. Effect The Authority could have had federal funding delayed or reduced. Recommendation We recommend that the Authority implement internal controls to ensure all reporting is accurately filed. Repeat Finding Yes. Prior audit finding 2023-003. Views of Responsible Officials Management recognizes the deficiency and plans to implement the auditor’s recommendation.
U.S. Department of Transportation – AL #20.106 Airport Improvement Program – Reporting Grant Award: 3-38-0022-064-2022 Criteria The Authority is required to submit payment requests using the DOT Electronic Grants payment system, Delphi e-Invoicing. These requests must meet the standards described in 2 CFR ss 200.302 and 200.305. Additionally, Authority is required to submit annual SF-425 reports within 90 days of the end of the federal fiscal year. Condition During review of submitted Request for Reimbursements and Outlay reports, it was noted that one request submitted was not accurately prepared as there was one instance in which the amount requested was greater than invoice documentation, additionally the request included a request for reimbursement of AIP ineligible costs. As of December 31, 2024 no funds have been returned to U.S. DOT. It was also noted that multiple annual SF-425 reports were submitted late. Questioned Costs N/A Context We reviewed the project financial summary for two of the 19 requests submitted during 2024 and SF-425 reports for all open grants. Cause Employee oversight. Effect The Authority could have had federal funding delayed or reduced. Recommendation We recommend that the Authority implement internal controls to ensure all reporting is accurately filed. Repeat Finding Yes. Prior audit finding 2023-003. Views of Responsible Officials Management recognizes the deficiency and plans to implement the auditor’s recommendation.
Identification of a Repeat Finding: This is a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit, 2023-002. Criteria: Uniform Guidance requires written procedures for cash management and determining the allowability of costs in accordance with Subpart E – Cost Principals. Condition: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs did not have written procedures for cash management (2 CFR 200.302(b)(6)) and allowable costs determination (2 CFR 200.302(b)(7)) in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Questioned Costs: $0 Cause: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs’ written policies and procedures were not updated to include required Uniform Guidance policies. Effect: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs could enter into a transaction that is not in compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Recommendation: We recommend Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs draft and adopt written procedures in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Management agrees with the finding and is in process of developing and implementing the appropriate policies and procedures. The board anticipates approving written policies and procedures for cash management in May 2025.
Finding 2024-004 Internal Controls Over Compliance for Cash Management, Allowable Costs, Procurement, and Conflicts of Interest Federal Program: 66.468 Capitalization Grants for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Condition: The City does not have formally documented written controls to ensure compliance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirement, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), regarding the determination of allowable costs, procurement procedures, conflicts of interest, and cash management. Criteria: 2 CFR § 200.302(b) requires the City to have written procedures related to managing cash from federal award, including determining the allowability of costs in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles. Additionally, 2 CFR § 318(a) and (c), requires the City to formally document procedures used for procurements made within federal programs, to demonstrate compliance with Uniform Guidance, which includes written standards of conduct that cover conflicts of interest and govern the performance of individuals engaged in procurement. Cause: The City’s policies and procedures have not been formally drafted and updated in written form. Effect: The failure to have written policies and procedures resulted in the City’s noncompliance with the requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Context: This is a general requirement that pertains to most federal grants. This was not identified via sampling procedures. Questioned Costs: None identified. Recommendation: We recommend the City review the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, particularly the sections referenced above, to obtain a better understanding of the related requirements under Uniform Guidance. Based on this understanding, we recommend the City adopt written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with our recommendation. See corresponding Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2024-001 Internal Controls Over Compliance for Cash Management, Allowable Costs, Procurement, and Conflicts of Interest Federal Program: 14.251 Economic Development Initiative, Community Project Funding, and Miscellaneous Grants Condition: The City did not have formally documented written controls to ensure compliance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirement, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in regard to determining allowable costs, procurement procedures, conflicts of interest, and cash management. Criteria: 2 CFR § 200.302(b) requires the City to have written procedures related to managing cash from federal awards, including determining the allowability of costs in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles. Additionally, 2 CFR § 318(a) and (c), requires the City to formally document procedures used for procurements made within federal programs, to demonstrate compliance with Uniform Guidance, which includes written standards of conduct that cover conflicts of interest and govern the performance of individuals engaged in procurement. Cause: The City’s policies and procedures were not formally drafted and updated in written form. Effect: The failure to have written policies and procedures during the grant period resulted in the City’s temporary noncompliance with the requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Context: This is a general requirement that pertains to most federal grants. This was not identified via sampling procedures. Questioned Costs: None identified. Recommendation: We recommend the City review the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, particularly the sections referenced above, to obtain a better understanding of the related requirements under Uniform Guidance. Based on this understanding, we recommend the City adopt written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Since the discovery of this issue, the City has adopted written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with our recommendation, and this matter has already been resolved subsequent to year-end. See corresponding Corrective Action Plan.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2024 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2023-003. Condition and Context As part of sound management of the federal award, the Town was responsible for implementing a system of internal controls that would ensure compliance with the applicable requirements. The Town had not properly designed or implemented such a system, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. The Town was required to submit the following reporting to the Department of Agriculture annually: • Statement of Budget, Income, and Equity (Form RD 442-2) • Balance Sheet (Form RD 442-3) INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 TOWN OF PAOLI SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The Form RD 442-2 covers financial operations relating to the Town's wastewater utility and the Form RD 442-3 presents the financial status of the wastewater utility. In both instances, a borrower may submit the financial data on other forms, provided the forms are in a similar format and signed and dated by the organization's official to certify the correctness of the information. Alternatively, an annual audit may be submitted in lieu of the forms. The Town did not submit the Form RD 442-2 during the audit period as required. The Town submitted the Form RD 442-3 reporting 2023 data in 2024 as required. However, this report is intended to be a comparative balance sheet as described in the USDA Rural Utilities Service Borrower's Guide. The Town did not include comparative data for 2022 in the report. There was also no documentation or other evidence of an oversight, review, or approval process for the report that was filed. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 7 CFR 1780.47 states in part: "(a) Borrowers are required to provide RUS an annual audit or financial statements. . . . (e) Borrowers exempt from audits. All borrowers who are exempt from audits, will, within 60 days following the end of each fiscal year, furnish the RUS with annual financial statements, consisting of a verification of the organization's balance sheet and statement of income and expense by an appropriate official of the organization. Forms RD 442-2, 'Statement of Budget, Income and Equity,' and 442-3 may be used. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 TOWN OF PAOLI SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (f) Management reports. These reports will furnish management with a means of evaluating prior decisions and serve as a basis for planning future operations and financial strategies. In those cases where revenues from multiple sources are pledged as security for an RUS loan, two reports will be required; one for the project being financed by RUS and one combining the entire operation of the borrower. In those cases where RUS loans are secured by general obligation bonds or assessments and the borrower combines revenues from all sources, one management report combining all such revenues is acceptable. The following management data will be submitted by the borrower to the processing office. These reports at a minimum will include a balance sheet and income and expense statement. . . . (2) Annual management reports. Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year the following will be submitted to the processing office. (If Form RD 442-2 is used as the annual management report, enter data in column three only of Schedule 1, and complete all of Schedule 2.) (i) Two copies of the management reports and proposed 'Annual Budget'. (ii) Financial information may be reported on Form RD 442-2 which includes Schedule 1, 'Statement of Budget, Income and Equity' and Schedule 2, 'Projected Cash Flow' or information in similar format. (iii) A copy of the rate schedule in effect at the time of submission. . . ." Cause The Clerk-Treasurer was only in her first year of her first term in office when these were due. As such, she was unfamiliar with the reporting requirements of the grant. Effect Without a proper system of internal controls in place that operated effectively, the Town did not file one of the two required reports, and the report that was filed was incomplete. As a result, material noncompliance occurred and remained undetected. By not reporting the comparative data, all information needed to determine the true financial status of the Town was not readily available. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the Town's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop and implement reporting policies and procedures to ensure that all required reports are filed timely, accurately, and contain all the required information. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
Criteria: Per 2 CFR § 200.303(a), the non-Federal entity must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over Federal awards that provides reasonable assurance that the entity is managing the award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the awards. Additionally, per 2 CFR §200.403 and §200.302, costs charged to federal awards must be allowable, allocable, and properly documented, and financial reporting must be accurate, complete, and supported by the accounting system. Condition: Although the Parish has implemented internal controls related to the allowability of costs and the preparation of required reports for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds, they were not operating effectively during fiscal year 2024. Tests of controls indicated that transactions were not tracked appropriately to ensure they were charged to the correct funding source. In addition, quarterly project and expenditure reports submitted to the U.S. Treasury included inaccurate or unsupported information due to a lack of tracking and reconciliation procedures. Cause: As discussed in item 2024-001, the Parish encountered several challenges during the transition of administration and key personnel. Parish administration and management were immediately tasked with enhancing operations related to procedural concerns from the prior administration and performing the accounting function without sufficient documentation on several balances and transactions. The documented controls were not in practice because of this. Effect: While no instances of noncompliance were noted, the lack of documented controls in practice increases the risk that future required reports could be incomplete, inaccurate, or untimely, as well as, federal costs being unallowed per the cost principles which could potentially result in program noncompliance. Recommendation: We recommend that the Parish enhance and document internal controls over financial reporting, as described in our recommendations described under item 2024-001, to prevent noncompliance of the Uniform Guidance as required.
Finding 2024-005 Internal Controls Over Compliance for Subrecipient Monitoring Federal Program: 14.251 Economic Development Initiative, Community Project Funding, and Miscellaneous Grants Condition: The City does not have formally documented written controls to ensure compliance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirement, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in regard to determining subrecipient monitoring. Criteria: 2 CFR § 200.302(b) requires the City to have written procedures related to managing subrecipient monitoring in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart D – Subrecipient Monitoring. Cause: The City’s policies and procedures have not been formally drafted and updated in written form. Effect: The failure to have written policies and procedures resulted in the City’s noncompliance with the requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Context: This is a general requirement that pertains to many federal grants. This was not identified via sampling procedures. Questioned Costs: None identified. Recommendation: We recommend the City review the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, particularly the sections referenced above, to obtain a better understanding of the related requirements under Uniform Guidance. Based on this understanding, we recommend the City adopt written policies and procedures pertaining to subrecipient monitoring for all applicable federal programs. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with our recommendation. See corresponding Corrective Action Plan.
Adjoin Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs Year Ended December 31, 2024 Section II - Financial Statement Findings Section None noted. Section III - Federal Award Findings and Questioned Costs Section 1. Finding Number: Finding 2024-001 Program Name: Supportive Services for Veterans Families: CFDA 64.033 Pass Through Agency: N/A Type of Finding: Other matters, compliance a. Criteria: Failure to comply with the grant agreement’s terms and applicable regulations: The Organization did not comply with grant compliance requirements such as tracking administrative expenses charged to the program outside of the general ledger and in other matters noted in Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) reviews. b. Condition: During our audit, JGD reviewed the results of all reviews for the SSVF grant and noted seven compliance deficiencies were indicated in the reporting period. These deficiencies resulted in a failure of controls over compliance. Under the SSVF Program, a minimum of 90% of supportive services grant funds must be used to provide and coordinate the provision of supportive services to very lowincome Veteran families who are occupying permanent housing. A maximum of 10% of supportive services grant funds may be used for administrative costs. Per Section 62.70 of the 38 CFR Part 62, administrative costs are defined as all direct and indirect costs associated with the indirect, of subcontractors. SSVF requires grantees to provide support documentation (payroll records, invoices, receipts etc.) for all costs and expenses associated with the administration of the SSVF grant. Administrative costs should be placed in the Administrative section of an SSVF program budget. An approved Indirect Cost Rate is not considered adequate support or source documentation for costs listed in the Administrative section of the budget. Grantees are required to have a detailed breakout of these administrative costs along with any supporting documents for those expenses for auditing and oversight. Title 2 CFR 200.302 requires the financial management system of each non-Federal entity provide “records that identify adequately the source and application of funds for federally-funded activities. These records must contain information pertaining to Federal awards, authorizations, obligations, unobligated balances, assets, expenditures, income and interest and be supported by source documentation.” These citations are included for informational purposes: Fiscal Administration – Administrative Expenses: Administrative expenses were not recorded in the general ledger, resulting in questioned costs. Fiscal Administration – Unallowed Supplemental Pay: Five employees did not have evidence to support reasonableness and compliance with incentive compensation requirements, resulting in questioned costs. 25 Adjoin Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs Year Ended December 31, 2024 Fiscal Administration – Inadequate TFA Identification: TFA expenses were not paid through credit card charges in the general ledger. This deficiency was cleared as corrective action was taken during the review. Participant Eligibility – HMIS Release of Information Forms: Four case files were missing HMIS Release of Information Forms for household members over the age of 18. Participant Eligibility – Missing Income Eligibility Documentation: Three case files missing income eligibility documents for Veterans and one case file missing income eligibility documents for Veteran and household members at certification of eligibility events. Participant Eligibility – Missing Exit Checklist: Five case files did not include exit checklist documentation. This deficiency was cleared as corrective action was taken during the review. Program Operations – Inadequate MOU: MOU for a legal subcontractor was missing required elements, including expectations and requirements for quarterly assessments and annual monitoring of performance, listing of only eligible/allowable legal services, highlighting of response time expectations and requirements to support payments, and account for Veterans that have been separated from the program and those in need of long-term legal services. c. Context: Recipients of Federal grants are required to comply with all terms and applicable regulations of grant agreements. d. Questioned Costs: Administrative expenses resulted in $937,794 and supplemental pay resulted in $1,500 in questioned costs. The Organization has disputed both findings noting the expenses are itemized within their internal tracking files and that the costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable. The Organization has received no response from the agency. e. Cause: Internal accounting procedures, lack of compliance policies, and lack of training over verification and documentation processes, resulting in a failure of controls over compliance. f. Effect: Considered to be an other matter related to internal control over compliance. g. Recommendation: Management should take steps to ensure that all administrative expenses are properly recorded in the general ledger, supplemental pay is approved with proper evidence of approvals, and proper documentation and policies are in place to comply with all grant compliance requirements. We recommend that management closely monitor areas of non-compliance as noted in the licensing reviews. Section IV – Schedule of Prior Year Findings and Questioned Costs None noted.
Finding 2024-003 Insufficient Documentation of Other Direct Expenses Type of Finding: Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance Condition: During testing of direct costs charged to the federal program, the Organization did not maintain sufficient documentation to fully support all expenditures claimed. In one instance, a receipt supporting a claimed expense was missing. In three additional cases, although the expenditures were generally supported, the documentation did not clearly reflect how the amounts allocated to the major federal program were determined. While these issues were isolated and the known and likely questioned costs were immaterial, the lack of complete documentation represents noncompliance with federal requirements for allowable costs. Criteria: According to Uniform Guidance 2 CFR §200.302(b)(3), the Organization's financial management system must maintain records that sufficiently identify the amount, source, and expenditure of Federal funds for Federal awards. All records must be supported by source documentation. Additionally, 2 CFR §200.403(g) requires that all costs charged to federal awards must be adequately documented. Cause: These exceptions appear to result from informal documentation practices and a lack of consistent application of procedures. Management is heavily involved in the Organization’s financial processes, including allocation of costs, which can limit opportunities for independent oversight or review. The absence of a standardized and consistently enforced process for documenting cost allocations contributes to inconsistent recordkeeping. Possible of Known Effect: Although the overall financial impact of these exceptions was not material, the missing documentation prevents the Organization from fully demonstrating compliance with 2 CFR 200.403 and 200.302. Overreliance on a single individual for documentation and procedural execution without accompanying review or monitoring controls can increase the risk of errors, omissions, or audit findings, even when expenditures are reasonable and allowable. Questioned Costs: Known questioned costs of $2,742 were identified. Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization implement a standardized procedure for documenting all direct and indirect cost allocations charged to federal programs, ensuring that each claim includes full supporting documentation such as receipts and annotated allocation details with consistent allocation methods. To strengthen internal controls, the Organization should consider establishing a review process for claims preparation that includes someone other than the individual preparing or allocating the expenditures. This will enhance accountability and help ensure compliance with federal documentation requirements. Views of Responsible Officials: The Organization will develop written guidelines specifying the required supporting documentation for each type of direct expense. Set up vendors in QuickBooks. We will hire and train Finance Manager to manage and track revenue and expenses, QuickBooks, grant reporting etc. All receipts and expenses will be scanned in and kept electronically. The Organization will provide training on documentation requirements, proper record submission, and compliance expectations.
2024-004: Written Policies and Procedures – Significant Deficiency Criteria and Condition: 2 CFR 200.302 requires that the recipient or subrecipient’s financial management system must provide written procedures to implement the requirements of 2 CFR 200.305 (Federal payments) and for determining the allowability of costs in accordance with subpart E and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Additionally, 2 CFR 200.318 requires that the recipient or subrecipient must maintain and use documented procedures for procurement transactions under a Federal award or subaward, including for acquisition of property or services. Context: Although the Organization follows procedures that minimize the time between reimbursement of dollars and expenditure (2 CFR 200.305), verify payments made are in accordance with subpart E and terms and conditions of the award, and follow procurement standards for vendors, there are no written procedures as required by the CFR. Cause and Effect: The Organization did not maintain written procedures as required by the CFR. Questioned Costs: This finding does not result in questioned costs. Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization formally document the current policies and procedures in place to meet documentation requirements of the CFR. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: We will adopt formal policies and procedures that document our current practices and also meet the requirements of the CFR.
2024-004: Written Policies and Procedures – Significant Deficiency Criteria and Condition: 2 CFR 200.302 requires that the recipient or subrecipient’s financial management system must provide written procedures to implement the requirements of 2 CFR 200.305 (Federal payments) and for determining the allowability of costs in accordance with subpart E and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Additionally, 2 CFR 200.318 requires that the recipient or subrecipient must maintain and use documented procedures for procurement transactions under a Federal award or subaward, including for acquisition of property or services. Context: Although the Organization follows procedures that minimize the time between reimbursement of dollars and expenditure (2 CFR 200.305), verify payments made are in accordance with subpart E and terms and conditions of the award, and follow procurement standards for vendors, there are no written procedures as required by the CFR. Cause and Effect: The Organization did not maintain written procedures as required by the CFR. Questioned Costs: This finding does not result in questioned costs. Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization formally document the current policies and procedures in place to meet documentation requirements of the CFR. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: We will adopt formal policies and procedures that document our current practices and also meet the requirements of the CFR.
Finding 2024-001 Interproject Payable – Amounts Owed to Other HUD Project Type of finding: Significant deficiency in internal control. Condition and context: During our audit we noted that the project has recorded a payable due to another HUD-assisted project in the amount of $3,072, and there is no documented HUD authorization supporting this obligation. Criteria: Per 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), §§200.302 and 200.403, federal program funds must be used only for allowable costs and in direct support of the objectives of the program. HUD requirements also prohibit the commingling of funds between projects unless explicitly authorized. Interproject payables or advances without proper documentation or timely settlement may constitute an unallowable use of program resources. Cause: Management permitted the use of funds from another HUD-assisted project to support operations of this project without obtaining HUD approval or establishing proper repayment terms. This occurred due to inadequate oversight of cash management and interproject transactions. Effect: Maintaining an outstanding payable to another HUD project: • Indicates potential misuse of federal funds. • Increases the risk of noncompliance with HUD requirements and Uniform Guidance. • May impair the project’s ability to demonstrate financial independence and program accountability. • Exposes the project to possible HUD sanctions, questioned costs, or repayment obligations. Questioned costs: Known questioned costs are $3,072. Recommendation: We recommend that project management: • Repay the outstanding payable to the related HUD project as soon as feasible. • Cease the practice of interproject borrowing unless HUD has provided explicit authorization. • Implement stronger internal controls over cash management and interproject transactions. • Document and monitor all project-level obligations to ensure compliance with HUD regulations. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with this finding and the payment will be corrected. Management will review internal controls and implement a review process to only pay expenses already incurred to avoid future payments.
U.S. Department of Transportation – AL #20.106 Airport Improvement Program – Reporting Grant Award: 3-38-0022-064-2022 Criteria The Authority is required to submit payment requests using the DOT Electronic Grants payment system, Delphi e-Invoicing. These requests must meet the standards described in 2 CFR ss 200.302 and 200.305. Additionally, Authority is required to submit annual SF-425 reports within 90 days of the end of the federal fiscal year. Condition During review of submitted Request for Reimbursements and Outlay reports, it was noted that one request submitted was not accurately prepared as there was one instance in which the amount requested was greater than invoice documentation, additionally the request included a request for reimbursement of AIP ineligible costs. As of December 31, 2024 no funds have been returned to U.S. DOT. It was also noted that multiple annual SF-425 reports were submitted late. Questioned Costs N/A Context We reviewed the project financial summary for two of the 19 requests submitted during 2024 and SF-425 reports for all open grants. Cause Employee oversight. Effect The Authority could have had federal funding delayed or reduced. Recommendation We recommend that the Authority implement internal controls to ensure all reporting is accurately filed. Repeat Finding Yes. Prior audit finding 2023-003. Views of Responsible Officials Management recognizes the deficiency and plans to implement the auditor’s recommendation.
U.S. Department of Transportation – AL #20.106 Airport Improvement Program – Reporting Grant Award: 3-38-0022-064-2022 Criteria The Authority is required to submit payment requests using the DOT Electronic Grants payment system, Delphi e-Invoicing. These requests must meet the standards described in 2 CFR ss 200.302 and 200.305. Additionally, Authority is required to submit annual SF-425 reports within 90 days of the end of the federal fiscal year. Condition During review of submitted Request for Reimbursements and Outlay reports, it was noted that one request submitted was not accurately prepared as there was one instance in which the amount requested was greater than invoice documentation, additionally the request included a request for reimbursement of AIP ineligible costs. As of December 31, 2024 no funds have been returned to U.S. DOT. It was also noted that multiple annual SF-425 reports were submitted late. Questioned Costs N/A Context We reviewed the project financial summary for two of the 19 requests submitted during 2024 and SF-425 reports for all open grants. Cause Employee oversight. Effect The Authority could have had federal funding delayed or reduced. Recommendation We recommend that the Authority implement internal controls to ensure all reporting is accurately filed. Repeat Finding Yes. Prior audit finding 2023-003. Views of Responsible Officials Management recognizes the deficiency and plans to implement the auditor’s recommendation.
Identification of a Repeat Finding: This is a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit, 2023-002. Criteria: Uniform Guidance requires written procedures for cash management and determining the allowability of costs in accordance with Subpart E – Cost Principals. Condition: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs did not have written procedures for cash management (2 CFR 200.302(b)(6)) and allowable costs determination (2 CFR 200.302(b)(7)) in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Questioned Costs: $0 Cause: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs’ written policies and procedures were not updated to include required Uniform Guidance policies. Effect: Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs could enter into a transaction that is not in compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Recommendation: We recommend Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation DBA The Bluffs draft and adopt written procedures in accordance with Uniform Guidance requirements. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Management agrees with the finding and is in process of developing and implementing the appropriate policies and procedures. The board anticipates approving written policies and procedures for cash management in May 2025.
Finding 2024-004 Internal Controls Over Compliance for Cash Management, Allowable Costs, Procurement, and Conflicts of Interest Federal Program: 66.468 Capitalization Grants for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Condition: The City does not have formally documented written controls to ensure compliance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirement, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), regarding the determination of allowable costs, procurement procedures, conflicts of interest, and cash management. Criteria: 2 CFR § 200.302(b) requires the City to have written procedures related to managing cash from federal award, including determining the allowability of costs in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles. Additionally, 2 CFR § 318(a) and (c), requires the City to formally document procedures used for procurements made within federal programs, to demonstrate compliance with Uniform Guidance, which includes written standards of conduct that cover conflicts of interest and govern the performance of individuals engaged in procurement. Cause: The City’s policies and procedures have not been formally drafted and updated in written form. Effect: The failure to have written policies and procedures resulted in the City’s noncompliance with the requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Context: This is a general requirement that pertains to most federal grants. This was not identified via sampling procedures. Questioned Costs: None identified. Recommendation: We recommend the City review the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, particularly the sections referenced above, to obtain a better understanding of the related requirements under Uniform Guidance. Based on this understanding, we recommend the City adopt written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with our recommendation. See corresponding Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2024-001 Internal Controls Over Compliance for Cash Management, Allowable Costs, Procurement, and Conflicts of Interest Federal Program: 14.251 Economic Development Initiative, Community Project Funding, and Miscellaneous Grants Condition: The City did not have formally documented written controls to ensure compliance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirement, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in regard to determining allowable costs, procurement procedures, conflicts of interest, and cash management. Criteria: 2 CFR § 200.302(b) requires the City to have written procedures related to managing cash from federal awards, including determining the allowability of costs in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles. Additionally, 2 CFR § 318(a) and (c), requires the City to formally document procedures used for procurements made within federal programs, to demonstrate compliance with Uniform Guidance, which includes written standards of conduct that cover conflicts of interest and govern the performance of individuals engaged in procurement. Cause: The City’s policies and procedures were not formally drafted and updated in written form. Effect: The failure to have written policies and procedures during the grant period resulted in the City’s temporary noncompliance with the requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Context: This is a general requirement that pertains to most federal grants. This was not identified via sampling procedures. Questioned Costs: None identified. Recommendation: We recommend the City review the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, particularly the sections referenced above, to obtain a better understanding of the related requirements under Uniform Guidance. Based on this understanding, we recommend the City adopt written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Since the discovery of this issue, the City has adopted written policies and procedures pertaining to cash management, determining the allowability of costs, procurement procedures, and conflicts of interest for all federal programs. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with our recommendation, and this matter has already been resolved subsequent to year-end. See corresponding Corrective Action Plan.